HAWKED — How We Made Art

When you first look at HAWKED, you think that it’s one of those adventures where treasure hunters burst through the jungles, hunt for ancient relics, smash enemies through the plenty of chaos — and you’d be on point about that. This game is full of personality, which means t’s a the perfect playground for bold concept art, creative level art, and 3D art that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

My.Gamesteam had a great idea and even the greater plan for the game’s scope, so they’ve decided to expand their resources in terms of world art. And that’s how our companionship on this stylized masterpiece started.

Our art outsourcing team worked on a wide range of stylized assets, both from scratch and by refining existing blocks or creating concepts for further production on the client’s side.

Each direction had a lead on the client’s side who provided review and feedback, often together with the concept artist behind the idea. The collaboration flowed naturally, our art studio team was fully integrated into the production pipeline, managing tasks autonomously and maintaining a consistent pace throughout.

Part 1: 3D Environment Art

First things first, we needed to start slowly and pass the high requirements for My.Gamesteam, so we involved one of our artists for 3D tasks.

We started with a sample UVs on a client’s texturing atlas, but after successfully completing that task, we expanded the team and started working more on the environmental art.

Our first environment art tasks were doors and walls, traps and weapons.

Making these we were using different approaches — for some props we used already pre-casted tiles and trims and for some we made unique textures.

Let’s take this hammer as example:

This hammer was done with the help of the clients’ concept team and was made almost purely on Blender with further high poly in ZBrush and painted in Substance Painter. They all had a limited polycount which is highly important for the game’s productivity, so it was a bit of a challenge fitting one model into one texture set with a proper texel density. And see these awesome and quite unique comics-like effects? Those masks modificator was made by awesome team at My.Gamesand used by us while texturing to achieve that vibe:

Some of our 3D artists were initially new to texturing and engine setup, since those tasks were usually handled by our dedicated texturing and 2D art teams. Thanks to clear communication, strong teamwork, and process transparency, we quickly adapted, refined our workflow, and delivered high-quality stylized game art assets on time.

Part 2: Concept Art

Once the 3D environment tasks were underway, the client team invited us to dive into concept art, starting with the player’s hideout accessories.

We received detailed references, location drafts, and prop sketches. It’s the kind of clarity every concept artist dreams of: clear materials, defined forms, and solid direction. Having a well-built reference board like that doesn’t just speed up production, it keeps the vision tight and the final look on point. So MY.GAMES team set a great benchmark here, providing exactly what’s needed to bring ideas to life without guesswork and with creativity guided by purpose:

Our first concept art tasks were the surf board and the fridge. The main goal was to achieve a playful and colorful look for the props, so we did what we have to.

Surf board variations:

Later on, we’ve started some more complex tasks as atmospherics. These are the elements that could be divided into different constructions and can be used all over the location or the whole game.

Atmospheric’s concepts:

Besides that, there was some of the easter eggs we’ve worked on. We bet you can guess which movie reference this is (hint: think board game that comes to life):

These lockers were made for a specific events in the game, and when you change a locker the whole hideout changes. These lockers also a good place to place the in-game items:

Part 3: Level Art

HAWKED evolves through several seasons, and with each one, the world changes, not just visually but in mood and gameplay. Every season has to feel distinct, highlight the story, and keep players on their toes.

Our Level Artists step in to make these transitions believable. Sometimes that means the ground literally cracks open, assets shift, and what once was background decoration suddenly becomes a gameplay opportunity.

In season 1 we see a location with the lava flowing underneath the ground and the whole location seems “overheated”. Season 2 flipped the script, so we had the task to change it to the opposite vibe of the huge freezer. With that, many of some new props and assets appeared, such as various control systems, cryogenic chambers, pipes, and a huge vent in the ceiling of the location.

Working from a client’s concept and an asset pool, our artist rebuilt the space piece by piece, so the atmosphere stayed true to the vision.

Once the draft was ready, it went through a careful approval loop with the MY.GAMESteam until every detail matched the expectations:

One of the most memorable parts of this project was designing the Easter Eggs across all the map. It truly was a playful, yet detail-driven challenge that blended creativity with precision.

Our team received the base models and a marked map, highlighting zones for potential Easter Egg placement. Rather than simply dropping objects at random, we digged into the location to be sure that only the most curious players will be rewarded to find those.

Every element had to feel organic, integrated into the environment’s logic and atmosphere. This meant reworking landscapes, moving props, and even rebuilding sections of architecture to make sure each discovery felt natural and rewarding. Among the hidden gems were nods to classic adventures from the 80s and 90s you most likely recognize when playing the game.

Our adventure with HAWKED was truly memorable. It challenged our creativity, sharpened our teamwork, and reminded us how fun game development can be when passion meets collaboration.

A huge thanks to the MY.GAMES team for the trust, guidance, and great partnership throughout this journey. Together, we brought worlds and stories to life and had an absolute fun doing it.