Environment Art

PAYDAY-2

Environment art for Overkill Software's co-op heist shooter

Client — PAYDAY-2 (Overkill Software / Starbreeze Studios)

Project at a glance

Client

Overkill Software / Starbreeze Studios

Game

PAYDAY 2

Platform(s)

PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Linux

Genre

Co-op First-Person Shooter

Services Provided

Environment Art — Level Design Support, Buildings, Terrain, Roads, Props, Set Decoration

Overview

PAYDAY 2 is one of the most recognized co-op heist games, known for its large variety of playable missions and highly replayable environments. Three Colonist joined Overkill Software's environment art pipeline as an external development partner, contributing production-ready buildings, terrain, roads, props, and set dressing across multiple heist locations while maintaining the game's established artistic and technical standards.

The Challenge

Gameplay Readability Players need to read…

Gameplay Readability Players need to read environments instantly during high-pressure encounters. Every space had to support navigation, sightlines, cover placement, and objective clarity without sacrificing visual quality.

Believable Heist Locations

Every level also needed to feel like a real place worth robbing. Banks, warehouses, offices, and city streets had to balance authentic architecture with gameplay-driven level design.

Environmental Storytelling

Props, materials, and set dressing were used to communicate the history and purpose of each location before a single line of dialogue was spoken, giving every heist its own visual identity while maintaining production consistency across dozens of environments.

Our Solution

As an external development partner, Three Colonist supported Overkill Software's environment team by delivering production-ready environment art across multiple PAYDAY 2 heists. From architectural structures and terrain to roads, props, and final set dressing, every asset was built to integrate seamlessly into the game's established art direction and production pipeline.

Environment Art Production —Contributed to PAYDAY… — 2's environment team as an external development partner across multiple heist locations.
Production-Ready Environment Assets —Delivered buildings, terrain,… — roads, props, and set dressing that integrated seamlessly into Overkill's established level art pipeline.
End-to-End Environment Development — Supported the full environment art workflow, from large-scale architecture and terrain to final set dressing and environmental polish.

What We Did

Intro

Working as an embedded external development partner, Three Colonist contributed across the complete environment art pipeline, delivering production-ready assets that supported both gameplay and world-building throughout multiple PAYDAY 2 heist locations.

Buildings

We developed production-ready architectural assets that defined the spaces where every heist unfolds—from bank interiors and office complexes to industrial facilities and urban structures—built to support both gameplay and visual authenticity.

Terrain & Roads

Created terrain, road networks, and ground surfaces that established the scale, flow, and navigation of outdoor environments while integrating seamlessly with PAYDAY 2's level design.

Props & Set Dressing

Delivered environmental props and set dressing that gave each heist location its own identity. Furniture, industrial equipment, signage, debris, and everyday objects were carefully placed to reinforce the story of each location while supporting clear, readable gameplay spaces.

Gallery

01 / 08

Ready to ship production-grade art?

Tell us about your project — we'll show you how we can help.

Start a conversation