This article is about the returning heister from PAYDAY: The Heist. For Dallas' younger brother who temporarily held the mantle while Hoxton was in jail, see Houston.
Hoxton is the codename used by the English Fugitive (formerly Sharpshooter) coming from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Also known as Jim Hoxworth, he has two brothers, possibly more. He wears a pink and white Clown mask, and is voiced by Pete Gold.
Hoxton was arrested by the FBI sometime between the first and second games, and was briefly replaced by Dallas' younger brother, a 31-year-old American portrayed by Derek Ray, who took up the codename and the mask. In 2014, the Englishman was rescued by his former crewmates in the Hoxton Breakout heist, who regained his nickname and once again became a playable character. The replacement Hoxton took up the alternate moniker Houston but kept the former's mask.
According to Bain, he has just recently acquired and decrypted several classified FBI files regarding the background and criminal history of the crew, minus John Wick and the newly-introduced heisters. The files are being put together for an upcoming release, though it was not made clear if this applies to Hoxton as well. [1]
A heist where Hoxton and the gang track down the rat responsible for his imprisonment was released March 21, during the Spring Break Event.
Hoxton has fought with his brothers, bullies, rival football supporters, and opponents in unlicensed boxing matches. He has never been able to hold a job for long, as he believes jobs should come few and far between and pay greatly. Hoxton swindled many people as his debt grew, which made many angry with him. He would intimidate people to keep loan sharks away and would often work for them to pay off his debt. He was eventually caught with his gang in Hoxton, London, which gave him his nickname. His first felony was a liquor store robbery at age 19.
Hoxton as portrayed by actor Josh Lenn in the Breakout trailer.
In 2011, between the setting of the first and second game, the original Hoxton was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Intervention due to DNA found at First World Bank and incarcerated at the same high security prison and the same cell block as their previous driver, Matt (see Heat Street for info). Hoxton regularly beats up Matt, which Hoxton sees as "karma" for double-crossing them.
By PAYDAY 2, Hoxton has heard about the new heister who has taken up his mantle, and expressed his displeasure about being "replaced". [2] His lawyer explained that it is impossible to bail him out of prison, due to the amount of overwhelming evidence against him obtained from the previous heists in the previous game, along with his continued attacks on Matt Roscoe in prison. Coming to the realization that the only way to get out of prison is to be broken out, Hoxton decided the best course of action was to contact Bain for assistance.
Prior to the Breakout
The Election Day heist page states that the heist was supposed to be done as part of the plan to break him out by getting The Elephant to transfer Hoxton into a lower security prison.
In the Dentist trailer of Update #29.2, a plan to break him out of prison was revealed, along with his possible name of Jim Hoxworth. According to The Dentist's dialogue in the trailer, Hoxton was probably left behind in a job gone sour which led to his arrest.
In Almir Listo ALS Ice Bucket Challenge here, one can be see a 5th person wearing a slightly modified Hoxton mask. This person is assumed to be Old Hoxton, as in the Old Hoxton Breakout Trailer, he puts on a mask that matches the one in Almir's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
On September 30 2014, OVERKILL, in collaboration with Dennaton Games, released the Hotline Miami DLC, in which the gang applies pressure to Washington D.C.'s corrupt district attorney for The Dentist by assassinating one of his connections to the underworld, a Russian mobster known as The Commissar. In doing so they come one step closer to freeing Hoxton.
The Great Escape
"Did you miss me, you wankers?"
—Hoxton reuniting with his former crew.
Released on October 27th, 2014, the Hoxton Breakout heist sees the return of the Englishman as the crew intercepts a prison guard escort and freeing their former accomplice. Protected by his friends, Hoxton escapes the police-infested streets of Washington D.C.
Looking back on the capture, Hoxton revealed that he was not set up by Roscoe, but someone else, someone with an intimate and thorough knowledge of his background. Breaking into an FBI headquarters, he and his old crew resolves to find out who this treacherous individual is and plans his revenge.
Confrontation with the Treacherous Rat
Prior to discovering the traitor's identity, he was contacted by Bonnie whom he has met before. Bonnie was recently released from prison and claims that she has bits of information on the rat which she will give in exchange for her membership to the Payday gang. Hoxton, desperate to find this rat, accepts Bonnie into the gang and assures the crew on her intentions.
While he couldn't identify the Rat, he however managed to discover his hiding spot; a fancy house under heavy protection of the FBI. Hoxton finally extracted his revenge upon the Rat during the events of Hoxton's Revenge. However, the crew was shocked upon learning the Rat's identity...
Behind The Scenes
Originally, the new character Houston (previously Hoxton) was created as a complete replacement for Hoxton, as Pete Gold wasn't able to reprise his role at the time of PAYDAY 2's production due to scheduling conflicts. Derek Ray was cast as Hoxton in the PAYDAY Web Series before portraying the character in-game as well.
Due to the overwhelming demands from the PAYDAY Community to bring the old heister back, Overkill Software have published the backstory of Hoxton's arrest that leads up to the release of the Hoxton Breakout heist and re-introduction of the former Hoxton. Pete Gold has also returned to provide the voice of his original character and the new name, Houston, was given to the new character as to avoid confusions. Hoxton's original face model Richard Blom, however, does not reprise his role in PAYDAY 2.
Both Hoxton and Houston have the highest number of objective-related quotes compared to the other heisters, the most notable example is the Drill. Most others only have one to two lines that they use from time to time, while Houston in PAYDAY 2 has roughly 6-7 different lines for the Drill alone.
During development, the following nicknames were scrapped: Knuckles, Haggis, Hackney, and Chips.[3]
Each character was originally named by nationality, and Hoxton appears as "American" in the game files, despite having an English accent, specifically a Yorkshire one.
Like Chains, Hoxton has also done time in juvenile detention in his youth, after his capture in the East End of London, where he also got his alias.
Hoxton was incarcerated at Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution following his arrest. This is slightly unusual, as the Englishman was captured with his gang at the age of 19, while the HMYOI normally only accept young offenders from 15 to 17 (juvenile offenders). Any individual older than that is commonly sent to an adult prison instead, though an exception was likely made, or that he was instead held in the YOI, a sub-department of the HMYOI that caters for offenders ages 18 to 20.
PAYDAY: The Heist
Hoxton wears a dark blue pinstripe suit with blue tie during most heists.
His original face was modeled after Richard Blom, a musician and former game developer at Overkill Software.
He sometimes refers to Wolf as "Wolfy" or "Wolfman" and Chains as "Chainsey".
Hoxton's voice actor, Pete Gold, is the only voice actor who voices a single character. [4]
Hoxton was originally to have a Cockney dialect, but was instead given a Yorkshire accent because Overkill believed Pete Gold, who is from Sheffield, was the best voice actor they could find. However, it made it difficult for the developers to justify the character's nickname because "Hoxton" is an area in Greater London, so Overkill decided that Hoxton got his name because he was arrested for the first time in Hoxton. [5]
Hoxton is depicted as the "Sharpshooter" in PAYDAY: The Heist.
His 'Secret' mask is his original mask finished in solid purple with a fleur de lys image painted onto the forehead.
PAYDAY 2
Josh Lenn as Hoxton in PAYDAY 2.
His voice actor, Pete Gold, has stayed the same throughout the first game into the second. This is the same with Dallas and Wolf, but Chains has got a different voice actor for the second game.
Hoxton's original face model Richard Blom did not return due to "Copyright reasons".[6] He is now acted by Josh Lenn, an American actor currently living in Stockholm and have previously collaborated with Starbreeze Studios. This portrayal of Hoxton in PAYDAY 2 marks Lenn's first major video game role.
Hoxton lacks his signature short ponytail in the Breakout trailer due to Lenn having a different hairstyle. His voice is provided by Pete Gold and dubbed over Lenn's lip-syncing.
The character model still has the ponytail.
It is presumably known that Richard Blom was working more with his band than Overkill Software, and either quit or got fired.
Hoxton's signature ponytail does not have an associated "bone" included as part of the character model "skeleton" (a bone is part of the basic model structure, and defines if a certain part of the model is solid or not), and thus will stick out from the back of certain full-head "masks" (e.g. The Hard Hat).
During the search for the rat in Hoxton Revenge, it is revealed that Dallas was originally going to be sold out to the FBI. This was suggested by the FBI handler, though due to the snitch believing him, as the crew leader, to be too risky and well-connected to be sold out, Hoxton was ultimately chosen and arrested in his stead. The conversation can be heard by playing one of the tapes scattered around the safehouse.
Hoxton's prisoner ID is "40X70N". This is "leet-speak" for Hoxton.
Hoxton's new mask, the Hoxton Reborn, looks significantly different in live-action media than it's in-game counterpart, being much wider and has an outline similar to that of The Grin.
Despite being freed from prison in a rather high-profile shootout and subsequently raiding an FBI headquarters, there had been zero wanted notifications from the police for Hoxton whatsoever.
Hoxton was Clover's former mentor, as mentioned on the female heister's announcement page.
Hoxton is seen dual-wielding two assault rifles in the trailer. Despite this, only a few select pistols are usable in this fashion in-game.
Hoxton wears an orange prison jumpsuit during the Breakout. When selected as a playable character, he wears a dark brown-burgundy suit and tie instead.
Because of this, Hoxton is the only original member of the crew to not retain his suit in PAYDAY 2. Even his replacement Houston wears an outfit different from the one he wore during PAYDAY: The Heist.
noicon
The name of HoxHud, a PAYDAY 2 modification by Olipro, was inspired by Hoxton. Its icon featured his PAYDAY: The Heist mask prior to his release and the PAYDAY 2 version following it.
The sound byte "HoxHud Initialised" played at the start of a heist was provided by Hoxton's voice actor, Pete Gold, himself.[7]
During the Breakout, Hoxton can be shouted at as if he's a law enforcer. Melee hits and shots striking his body will cause blood to fly out, though that will not damage him.
Hoxton in his NPC fugitive form has the same amount of health as a Blue SWAT officer, which will never drop as he is scripted to be invulnerable to all forms of damage.
Hoxton apparently knows and have presumably met John Wick sometime prior to the events of PAYDAY 2, as implied by the remarks (e.g. "John motherfuckin' Wick, haven't seen you in ages.") he makes when the two meet during Hoxton Breakout.
Hoxton's old mask bears the "Happy Clown" pattern, which drops in PAYDAY 2 as a Card reward.
Hoxton is depicted as the "Fugitive" in PAYDAY 2.
At random points during the first day of the Hoxton Breakout heist, Hoxton may mention that their former driver Matt was not the one who ratted him out, despite him betraying the crew in Heat Street. This is due to his belief that, had Matt known anything, Hoxton would have beaten it out of him prior to his escape (..."know all of his secrets by now"). He even suggests the team breaking Matt out some day.
The Dentist trailer marks the first time Hoxton's name, or any name of the playable heisters, have been revealed so far. Of course, it might very well be an alias, just as the name Nathan Steele was used by Dallas on various occasions. The name given to him in the video is Jim Hoxworth. The alias theory is further supported by the way Hoxton's lawyer refers to him as mister "Bo-" before Hoxton cuts him off in the intro to the Payday Christmas soundtrack.
Hoxton receives a new mask after his return, probably to avoid confusions with the current member. Upon closer inspection, this "new" mask appears to be a twisted version of Hoxton's original mask, adorned with a malicious smile and burn marks on the left side.
Additionally, Hoxton's face itself has burns marks on the left side.
Oddly, he has the mask with him in the trailer, it is unknown where he got it from, however, it is possible that Hoxton made it himself during his time in prison, prior to the breakout. This is supported by the fact that the mask seems to be hand-painted, rather than printed on.
Hoxton is apparently on bad terms with his former replacement, as he, when calling out to Houston, will refer to him using various insults such as calling him "Dickhead" and "Shit for brains" amongst other crude epithets. This is probably personal disdain for "replacing" him in the first place. However he does state that "he's not completely useless" after Houston shot the SWAT unit trying to kill him in the trailer.
Also Hoxton has no qualms about Houston continuing to use his mask.
Hoxton seems to have developed a distrust of, or paranoia toward, civilians. Many of his shouts addressing civilians are accusative, claiming for instance that "these fuckers are mobilizing".
Whereas many of Wolf's and Dallas' lines are reused from The Heist, Hoxton has only a relatively small number of reused lines.
Like Dallas, some of Hoxton's shouts toward civilians are much longer and more verbose than those of the other heisters.
Hoxton appears, like most people, in the Official PAYDAY Christmas Carol. His line is on Day 2, with him saying "2 years in jail." Considering his record, and the sternness of his lawyer in the intro of the Christmas album, it is unlikely that two years was his actual sentence, a possible explanation is that it had been two years since his imprisonment.
Hoxton made a reference to the movie "Pacific Rim" in one of his pager responses ("I just saw a spider so big, I think it was on Pacific Rim.")
One of Hoxton's lines when he is using basic Inspire is "Run, Forrest, Run!", referencing the film "Forrest Gump".
Hoxton is the only member of the Payday crew to initiate both female heisters, Clover and Bonnie, into the gang having known them prior to the events of PAYDAY: The Heist.
Several of Hoxton's experiences in Hazelton that he mentions to the fellow heisters include:
The horrible prison food, calling it "shit on a shingle."
Thursday night in Hazelton is "Kinky Night." The experience is apparently bad enough that he encourages the crew to consider "going straight," that is, abandoning a life of crime.
Getting "bleach poured in your eyes".
Lack of proper tea, being only Earl Grey and Green Tea as the only option for tea.
Missing out on watching soccer games of Sheffield Wednesday and wonder how well they are doing, as the only thing being shown is hockey which is, according to him "fuckin' girls game, that is."
Befriending some prison inmates, Mickey the Squid, Dirty Alan and Fish Fingers are some of the fellow inmates who are friends with Hoxton through his prison sentence.
<gallery spacing="small" captionalign="center" captionsize="large" hideaddbutton="true">
Hoxton.jpg|Payday: The Heist's Hoxton, both masked and unmasked.
BBbcRjlprLejyha-556x313-noPad.jpg|Hoxton as portrayed by Richard Blom in the #BailOutHoxton Community campaign.
Hoxton as portrayed by actor Josh Lenn in the Breakout trailer.
Josh Lenn as Hoxton in PAYDAY 2.
Hoxton in the Breakout splash card. "Did ya miss me ya wankers?"
![[defaults to 250]px](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/payday/images/f/fd/Hoxton_Reborn.png/revision/latest?cb=20141028085521)
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