Andy Hoyos

Last updated: January 14, 2026

Overview

Andy Hoyos is an American artist, art director, and game designer whose work at Sierra On-Line from 1990 to 1996 helped define the visual identity of the company’s golden age.¹ Beginning as a 2D computer animator, Hoyos quickly advanced to art director, overseeing the visual design of numerous landmark titles including King’s Quest V, King’s Quest VII, Leisure Suit Larry 5, Quest for Glory III, EcoQuest 2, and the Phantasmagoria series.² His illustrations and art direction established the rich, painterly aesthetic that distinguished Sierra’s adventure games during the VGA era.

Before entering the game industry, Hoyos worked as a graphic artist and illustrator for NBC television studios in Burbank, California, and subsequently in production art and design for commercial animation studios and film advertising.³ This background in traditional illustration and broadcast design informed his approach to game visuals, bringing a level of artistic sophistication that elevated Sierra’s productions. For Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh, Hoyos expanded his role to include directing the game’s live-action sequences, demonstrating his versatility across multiple aspects of production.⁴

Career

Early Career

Hoyos began his art career in 1972 as a graphic artist and illustrator for NBC Television Studios in Burbank, California.³ This early work in broadcast television provided experience in creating visuals that communicated effectively on screen—skills that would prove valuable in game development. He subsequently worked in production art and design for commercial animation studios and film advertising, building expertise in traditional illustration techniques and visual storytelling.

Sierra Years

In 1989, Hoyos’s interest in computer animation led him to accept an art directorship at Sierra On-Line.³ He was initially hired as a 2D computer animator, but his artistic abilities quickly led to advancement. According to his MobyGames profile, he began art directing many games, establishing himself as one of Sierra’s premier visual artists.²

Hoyos’s art direction credits at Sierra span some of the company’s most visually distinctive titles. His work on King’s Quest V (1990) demonstrated his ability to create lush, painterly backgrounds that brought the fairy tale world to life.⁵ The VGA Gallery has highlighted his King’s Quest V artwork as among “the most indelible images seared upon my mind from gaming of yesteryear.”⁶

For the Phantasmagoria series, Hoyos took on expanded responsibilities. On the original Phantasmagoria (1995), he served as art director, responsible for rendering the actual backdrops filmed against blue screen.⁷ He also collaborated closely with Roberta Williams on story development, spending six months preparing the subject matter by studying horror in both literary and cinematic forms.⁸ On Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh (1996), Hoyos directed the live-action sequences, demonstrating his growth from artist to filmmaker.⁴

Later Career

After departing Sierra in 1996, Hoyos continued working in game development.² He served as Art Director and 3D artist for The Matrix Online, the massively multiplayer online game based on the Matrix film franchise. More recently, he worked with MADKEV Studio on Moebius: Empire Rising (2014), a adventure game designed by Jane Jensen.⁹

Since leaving commercial art, Hoyos has focused on personal artistic expression, creating traditional acrylic paintings, digitally painted works, and mixed-media sculptures he describes as “tabletop sanctuaries.”³ Born in Los Angeles, he currently resides in Indio, California.³

Notable Works

King’s Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder (1990)

King’s Quest V marked Hoyos’s first major Sierra project and established his reputation as a master illustrator.⁵ His work on environments like the Witch’s Forest demonstrated his ability to create atmospheric, visually rich scenes that enhanced the game’s fairy tale narrative. The VGA Gallery featured his original sketch of the Witch’s House, noting that 25 years later he revisited and expanded upon this early work.⁶

Quest for Glory III: Wages of War (1992)

Quest for Glory III showcased Hoyos’s versatility, as he art directed an African-inspired fantasy setting markedly different from the European fairy tale aesthetics of King’s Quest.² The game’s distinctive visual style helped distinguish it from other entries in the Quest for Glory series.

Phantasmagoria (1995)

Phantasmagoria represented one of Hoyos’s most significant contributions to Sierra, as he served as art director for the company’s ambitious horror adventure.⁷ Working closely with Roberta Williams, Hoyos helped develop the visual approach that combined live-action video with rendered backgrounds. The game’s dark, gothic aesthetic required careful balance between realistic horror elements and the limitations of CD-ROM technology.

Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh (1996)

Phantasmagoria 2 saw Hoyos expand his role from art director to director of the live-action sequences.⁴ Written by Lorelei Shannon and filmed by cinematographer Matthew Jensen, the game’s video elements required coordinating cast and crew in a manner more typical of film production than game development. This experience demonstrated Hoyos’s ability to translate his visual sensibilities into directing live performers.

Design Philosophy

Hoyos’s approach to game art emphasized traditional illustration techniques applied to the digital medium. His background in broadcast television and commercial animation provided a foundation in visual storytelling that informed his game work. The painterly quality of his Sierra illustrations reflected a commitment to artistic craftsmanship that distinguished Sierra’s games from competitors using more purely digital approaches.

His willingness to study source material deeply—as demonstrated by the months spent researching horror for Phantasmagoria—showed an understanding that effective game visuals must serve narrative and atmosphere.⁸ This research-driven approach helped ensure that Sierra’s games achieved visual consistency and thematic coherence.

Legacy

Andy Hoyos’s work at Sierra On-Line helped establish the visual standards for adventure games during the VGA era.⁶ His illustrations for King’s Quest V, Quest for Glory III, and other titles remain touchstones for fans of classic adventure gaming, representing a high-water mark for hand-crafted game art. The transition of his role on the Phantasmagoria series from art director to live-action director anticipated the growing convergence between games and film production that would characterize later decades.

His continued work in game development after Sierra, including The Matrix Online and Moebius: Empire Rising, demonstrated the enduring value of traditional artistic skills in an increasingly digital industry.⁹ The “tabletop sanctuaries” he creates in his current fine art practice continue the aesthetic sensibilities visible in his game work—detailed, atmospheric environments designed to transport viewers to other worlds.³

Games

Year	Game	Role
1990	King’s Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder	Artist
1991	Jones in the Fast Lane	Artist
1991	Leisure Suit Larry 5	Art Director
1992	Quest for Glory III: Wages of War	Art Director
1993	EcoQuest 2: Lost Secret of the Rainforest	Art Director
1994	King’s Quest VII: The Princeless Bride	Art Director
1995	Phantasmagoria	Art Director, Story
1996	Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh	Director
2014	Moebius: Empire Rising	Art Director

References

Footnotes

1. Sierra Wiki - Andy Hoyos — Sierra career overview ↩

2. MobyGames - Andy Hoyos — Career profile and 53 credits on 23 games ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Andy Hoyos Official Website - About — Biography and career history ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. Wikipedia - Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh — Director credit for live-action sequences ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. RAWG - Andy Hoyos — Artist credits starting with King’s Quest V ↩ ↩²

6. VGA Gallery - Andy Hoyos King’s Quest V Print — Recognition of Sierra illustration work ↩ ↩² ↩³

7. Wikipedia - Phantasmagoria — Art director credit for original game ↩ ↩²

8. The Dot Eaters - Sierra On-Line — Phantasmagoria development and horror research ↩ ↩²

9. IMDB - Andy Hoyos — Credits for Phantasmagoria, King’s Quest V, Moebius ↩ ↩²