Steve Nelson II

I'm Steve. Twenty-five years in games — I started in military simulation, then built city architecture on Warhammer Online at Mythic, and spent fifteen years at ZeniMax Online Studios, climbing from Senior Environment Artist to Principal to Art Director.

On Elder Scrolls Online I built Vivec City and its palace, the Imperial City, the Seyda Neen lighthouse and arrival area most players first set foot in, and — with two modular kits — every structure in Summerset. I sculpted ruins in ZBrush and lived in materials and texture: the way a surface tells you its history. My last studio role was Art Director at Microsoft on an unannounced AAA title.

These days I run Swamp Shell Industries, my one-man studio in Bel Air, Maryland. I draw the creatures, characters, and dark little worlds in my head — as S. Nelson II art — take on art direction and illustration for clients including the Extinction Cycle books, and build software: Cadence for Warren County Summer Music School and SwampShell Prime, the system that runs this studio.

I'm also a musician, which keeps bleeding into the visuals, and an avid gardener when I'm not at the desk. One pair of hands, no handoffs — that's the whole pitch.