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Game Art for AA & Mid-core Studios
Production capacity
without growing the team
Weapons, vehicles, props, environments and concept art produced to your art direction, while your core team keeps the vision.
Games with our art: Squad · Starship Troopers: Extermination · Mutant Year Zero · Miasma Chronicles · Corruption 2029 · Ready Or Not
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01 · The Segment
AA production and mid-core game art needs
In game art outsourcing, AA and mid-core describe two different things. AA productions sit between independent and AAA development in budget and scale. Mid-core games have deeper systems than casual titles, without the full complexity of hardcore ones. Both benefit from a defined art scope, consistent visual standards and flexible external capacity.
Art for AA and mid-core productions: weapons · vehicles · props · environments · concept art
FEATURE 01
Two Terms, Two Axes
"AA" describes production scale and budget, so it applies to projects and studios. "Mid-core" describes the game and its players: deeper than casual, more accessible than hardcore. A studio can be one, both or neither. This page covers both because of shared art outsourcing needs, not a shared definition. Neither term has a fixed industry threshold.
Art priority: visual quality that holds up against larger releases, within a set scope
Agreed at the brief: quality bar, reference games, asset tiers
FEATURE 02
A Lean Core Team
A smaller in-house team can hold the art direction, style and hero assets, but may not have the headcount for the full weapon, vehicle and prop list. A hybrid model keeps creative control inside and moves defined volume to a partner. Our guide on in-house vs outsourced game art for mid-core production walks through the decision.
Art priority: consistent quality across batches made by two teams
Agreed at the brief: what stays in-house, what is outsourced
FEATURE 03
Art That Serves Gameplay
In tactical shooters and strategy games, visual assets often serve specific gameplay functions. Weapons, vehicles, cover elements and props need to stay recognizable at the intended camera distance and follow the visual language set by the development team. Other mid-core genres, such as RPGs or card battlers, call for different asset types. See how this works in our tactics and strategy game art.
Art priority: realistic detail that stays readable at gameplay distance
Agreed at the brief: gameplay function of each asset, camera distance, variants
FEATURE 04
Long Production and Updates
Games in this segment can grow after launch through updates, new maps, weapons and cosmetics. The same style rules apply years later, so documentation and stable conventions matter, starting with an art bible.
Art priority: assets that match earlier content, reusable kits
Agreed at the brief: naming, folder structure, style references
Looking at the genre side?
See our shooter game art.
02 · Production Realities
What AA and Mid-core Teams Need From an Art Partner
Each studio sets its own requirements. These are the needs we plan for at the brief.
Predictable Scope
A defined asset list, agreed tiers and clear review stages help a small team plan around the art instead of managing it daily. Scoping the first playable part of the game is a good starting point: see vertical slice art scope.
Matching Your Style, Not Ours
The partner works from your style guide, references and existing assets. Each batch goes through an internal art review by our lead artist before your team sees it.
Low Rework
Rework costs a lean team more than it costs a large one, because the same people review and fix. Clear briefs, early approval of a first asset and agreed revision rounds keep it under control. Read more about the art rework rate.
Continuity Across Milestones
When the same team stays on a project, conventions do not need to be taught again with each new batch. That is the logic behind our Ongoing Support model below.
03 · Production
Specs and Delivery Scope
on this page
The Bearded Ladies
Offworld Industries
Your team defines the art direction and pipeline. We agree a specification sheet covering scale, geometry budgets, LODs, textures, file formats and naming, and produce assets to it. Files are delivered in the formats agreed for your pipeline, such as FBX, OBJ or UASSET, with source files and exports organized for handoff.
Deliverables for AA and Mid-core Productions
Scope is confirmed at the brief:
| Deliverable | Detail | Shown on our cases |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons | Firearms and other weapons, real or invented | Squad, Mutant Year Zero, Miasma Chronicles, Corruption 2029 |
| Vehicles and aircraft | Ground and air vehicles to the detail of your asset class | Squad, Corruption 2029, Starship Troopers: Extermination |
| Props | Set dressing and gameplay props | Starship Troopers: Extermination, Mutant Year Zero, Miasma Chronicles, Corruption 2029 |
| Environments | Environment assets and location work | Starship Troopers: Extermination, Mutant Year Zero, Miasma Chronicles, Ready Or Not |
| Concept art and skins | Concept art and unique skins | Squad |
| Source files and handoff | Organized, named, editable files | Agreed per project |
| Task | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Art direction, style guide, hero decisions | Your team |
| Asset production to the agreed specification | Nasty Rodent |
| Internal art review before delivery | Nasty Rodent |
| Milestone reviews and written approvals | Your team, under the agreed terms |
| Engine integration, level building, optimization | Your team; scoped separately if needed |
04 · Studios
Who We Work With in This Segment
The right setup depends on how your team is built.
| Studio | What you need | Typical scope | How we plug in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tactical and military shooter teams | Realistic weapons, vehicles and environments in volume | Weapon families, vehicles, environment kits | Project-Based or Ongoing Support |
| Tactics and strategy teams | Readable props, weapons and environments for a set camera | Asset batches per mission or biome | Project-Based |
| Small teams with strong art direction | Extra hands under their own lead | Artists working inside the studio's pipeline | Outstaffing |
| Teams in post-launch updates | New content in an established style | Weapons, skins, props for updates | Ongoing Support |
05 · How We Work
Three Ways to Work Together
We structure production around your pipeline. Choose the model for your current stage; it can change as the project does.
Approvals and confidentiality: deliveries follow the review and approval stages set in the project agreement, with a contact person on your side. We can sign an NDA before project details are shared.
Project-Based
A fixed scope, defined deliverables and milestone payments. Suited to a defined asset list for a milestone or a content update.
Ongoing Support
Monthly capacity allocated to your project, with volume that follows your production schedule. One team keeps your conventions across batches without re-onboarding.
Outstaffing
Our artists work inside your pipeline, under your art direction. You manage the process; we provide the capacity and the skill.
06 · Cases
Games With Our Art
Six games where we worked to the developer's technical requirements and visual style. Three of them were made with The Bearded Ladies and two with Offworld Industries.
Squad
With Offworld Industries, we created realistic military content: concept art, unique skins and final assets for vehicles and weapons.
View the Squad case
Starship Troopers: Extermination
With Offworld Industries, we created props, environment and aviation assets and helped develop game locations for a game built on Unreal Engine 5.
View the Starship Troopers: Extermination case
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
With The Bearded Ladies, we created weapons, props and environment assets for a tactical game built on Unreal Engine 4.
View the Mutant Year Zero case
Miasma Chronicles
With The Bearded Ladies, under publisher 505 Games, we created weapons, props and environment assets for a tactical adventure built on Unreal Engine.
View the Miasma Chronicles case
Corruption 2029
With The Bearded Ladies, our focus was realistic vehicles and weapons, with props for the game as well.
View the Corruption 2029 case
Ready Or Not
With VOID Interactive, we worked on environment development.
View the Ready Or Not case07 · The Evidence
What is confirmed and what we agree with you
| Topic | Confirmed on our cases | Agreed with you at the brief |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons and vehicles | Squad, Corruption 2029, Mutant Year Zero, Miasma Chronicles, Starship Troopers: Extermination (aircraft) | Real or invented, variants, detail by asset class |
| Props and environments | Starship Troopers: Extermination, Mutant Year Zero, Miasma Chronicles, Ready Or Not | Kit size, scale, style |
| Concept art and skins | Squad | Number of variants, iterations |
| Repeat work with one developer | The Bearded Ladies (3 games), Offworld Industries (2 games) | Not applicable |
| Characters | Not shown on these cases | Scoped separately |
| Engine integration and optimization | Not demonstrated by these projects | Your team, or scoped separately |
FAQ's: Game Art for AA & Mid-core Studios
What is the difference between AA and mid-core?
Why do AA and mid-core studios outsource art?
Which games have your art?
Can our team keep the art direction?
How do approvals and confidentiality work?
How do I get an estimate?
Scaling Art for Your
Next Milestone?
Tell us what your team keeps in-house and what you need produced. We come back with questions and a draft scope in 1–2 business days.
- Transparent pricing
- Honest feedback
- No hidden costs - ever
