STEVE NELSON II
Bel Air, MD | stevensnelsonii@gmail.com | LinkedIn | Portfolio | Instagram

Environment Art Director

Visionary Art Director with 25+ years in AAA game development, including 15+ years leading globally distributed teams and supporting live service products. Expert in setting art direction, driving innovation, and architecting scalable systems that align art with gameplay, production realities, and business goals. Recognized for blending creative excellence with people-first leadership—mentoring talent, fostering inclusive culture, and guiding studio-wide initiatives. Skilled in modular workflows, PBR pipelines, and documentation-driven pipelines that empower autonomy, consistency, and cross-functional alignment.

CORE EXPERTISE

EXPERIENCE

Zenimax Online Studios — Cockeysville, MD 2018–2025

Environment Art Director, previously Lead Environment Artist.

Founding member of new AAA IP team; led environment art, worldbuilding, and lighting across a 6-year development cycle.

· Architected modular systems and workflows balancing artistry with procedural scalability

· Prototyped environment systems in three game engines to inform long-term tech and art direction

· Partnered with level and movement designers to define gameplay spaces that support mechanics, pacing, and player experience

· Aligned pipelines with gameplay systems, narrative structure, and visual identity for cohesive worldbuilding

· Mentored leads and senior artists, fostering ownership, raising quality, and reinforcing team morale

Zenimax Online Studios — Cockeysville, MD 2010–2018

Principal Environment Artist, previously Senior Environment Artist

Planned, created, and managed over 12 architectural kits for the game's launch and expansions.

· Worked closely with the lead environment artist to oversee the day-to-day operations of our 12 artist team.

· Worked closely with the lead PvP designer to develop the building destruction system for Cyrodiil and was responsible for creating the iconic ruined Imperial City environment for ESO.

Bioware Mythic — Fairfax, VA 2007–2010

Artist Specialist / Ex Dev Manager

Created architectural assets and textures for the AAA MMORPG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, including both major cities.

· Worked with a prototype team to develop concepts, environmental art kits, pipelines, and early character assets for validation, including projects like Ultima Forever (launched in 2013).

· Managed external teams across EA’s global network, providing direction, feedback, and final asset delivery.

Liaised between internal art leadership and external vendors to ensure consistency and quality.

Previous Experience:

Served as Environment Artist at Dynamic Animation Systems (Fairfax, VA, 2004–2007), developing environments and effects for government simulations, and as Art Director at Elmer Interactive (Pittsburgh, PA, 2001–2002), leading game art production and team management for commercial releases.