My name is Marco Fiore. I am a Game and Systems Designer with 8+ years of professional work experience, currently working at Relic Entertainment on Company of Heroes 3, a AAA PC and console Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game.
Originally from Caserta, a southern Italy city not far from Napoli, I have been playing video games since I was very young, enjoying Prince of Persia and Commander Keen on my old Intel i386. That was a different era, made of floppy disks, demos on CD-ROMS and a huge amount of time to play and fantasize about how to beat the few number of video games out there. My youth was heavily influenced by Age of Empires 2, Warcraft, Fifa and Total War games, which had a big impact on other favourite passion, History! However, it’s when I started playing Company of Heroes in 2006 that I realized I truly found my favorite one. Since then, I dreamed of working at Relic to help make the next iteration of the franchise.
My passion flourished more and more as I grew up, and I will forever be grateful for the amazing human beings I met along my online gaming experience, friendships that could last throughout the years despite the distance.
Since I started playing Company of Heroes, I helped create the COH2.org fansite, organized and shoutcasted various tournaments, pitched the Observer Mode feature for Company of Heroes 2 and constantly offered my help and support to improve core combat and Gameplay Design.
Ultimately, I envisioned communities as part of the development process already in 2012, by working tirelessly to maintain lines of communication between Relic and players.
Growing up, I took a path that led me to Software Development first and to Project Management later. Right before joining Relic, I was working as an IT Project Manager in Rome for a product and IT consulting company, OverIT.
My passion for video games never faded and I always thought that nothing is impossible in life, if you always do your best and you catch the right train when it passes. In 2017 Relic proposed me to join the CoH-Dev Closed Group, a community council tasked to kick off the Company of Heroes 3 project and support its development.
2021 was the year I caught the train that passes once in a lifetime — back in June I was offered to join the Gameplay Team and help shape CoH 3 not just as a community member but as a Relic Developer! Since then, it has been an incredible rollercoaster for me: getting a VISA, managing my job in Italy, setting up everything to move 9,000 kilometers from home and starting a completely new life. It was hard to catch that train but ultimately I can say it was worth it!
Today, I am an experienced Game and Systems Designer with over ten major features designed and brought to life in Company of Heroes 3. I would often make an appearance on Relic official channels to talk about new game improvements, features and design changes.
Thanks to my previous experience as Project Manager, I provide a dual perspective to the gaming industry, understanding various disciplines needs and constraints and helping to set teams up for success, as a team player and a Servant Leader.
If you made this far you know a bit more of who Marco is, what drives him and how far he would go to pursue a dream!