Giacomo Salvadori

Game Designer & Programmer

Building gameplay systems and AI for Unity and Unreal, from rapid prototypes to production-ready features.

About

Born in Florence in October 1990, I’m a game designer and programmer with a Computer Science degree from the University of Florence.

I’ve worked across studios, universities, and client projects, specializing in technical game design, gameplay programming, and AI systems—especially combat and character behaviors.

I contributed as a technical reviewer for Packt Publishing on Unity Artificial Intelligence Programming, and I work daily with Unity and Unreal Engine on both B2B and B2C projects, including AR and VR experiences.

Projects

Skills

🎮 Unreal Engine

Gameplay systems and AI development since 2019, using Blueprints and C++ to ship performant, scalable features.

🎯 Unity

Hands-on experience since 2017 across B2C and B2B: VR/AR apps, gameplay systems, AI, and reusable architectures.

🤖 AI Development

Game AI systems, behavior logic, navigation, and iteration-friendly debugging tools for fast tuning and collaboration.

⚔️ Combat Design

Designing and tuning combat that feels responsive, readable, and balanced—across multiple genres and control schemes.

📐 Technical Game Design

Rapid prototyping, balancing, documentation, and data-driven workflows that connect design intent to implementation.

👨‍🏫 Teaching

Game design and development education: mentoring students and juniors with production-ready workflows and clear feedback loops.

Experience

Freelance Game Designer & Programmer

2017 – Present

Unity/Unreal development across B2B and B2C: XR (VR/AR), gameplay systems, AI behaviors, and technical game design, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams from concept to delivery.

Game Design Teacher – TheSign (Comics & Arts Academy, Florence)

2017 – Present

Teaching game design, prototyping, Unity, and Unreal (Blueprint & C++). Mentoring students and junior developers with production-ready workflows, iteration-first pipelines, and hands-on project reviews.

Technical Reviewer – Packt Publishing

2023

Technical review of Unity Artificial Intelligence Programming, validating code accuracy and improving clarity to maximize practical value for AI-focused developers.

Research Fellowship – University of Siena

Sep 2021 – Sep 2022

R&D on XR applications and interactive prototypes, including the Colux VR/AR project (Unity). Focus on data-driven architecture, reliability, and a clean pipeline for fast iteration.

AI Programmer – Stormind Games

Apr 2021 – Oct 2021

Contributed to an unannounced PC/console title by implementing enemy behaviors and AI logic (hierarchical state machines) within an agile, production team environment.

Main Programmer – Hetalab

Apr 2020 – Apr 2021

Led development as main programmer on interactive and XR projects, owning core architecture, gameplay/interaction systems, and technical pipelines from prototype to delivery.

Technical Game Designer – Open Lab

Oct 2020 – Feb 2021

Worked on Football Drama (HD/Switch), supporting gameplay and technical design: porting constraints, input adaptation, UI/UX adjustments, and tooling support.

Software Developer – Enegan S.p.A.

2013 – 2016

Front-end and back-end development for CRM software. PL/SQL database work, data migration, and process optimization to improve reliability and internal workflows.

Contact

Portfolio

Browse projects