Paramount

Gladiator II rogue‑like game in Fortnite

Project:

Gladiator II Gauntlet - Fortnite

Location:

Los Angeles

Type:

App

None

Gaming

Crafted an immersive Fortnite UEFN experience with six custom arenas and rogue‑like progression to extend Gladiator II’s cinematic world.

Problem & Partnership

Paramount Pictures approached Polyform to pioneer an interactive campaign for the “Gladiator II” film. The ask: build a replayable, film-immersive Fortnite UEFN experience that felt more like a playable sequel than an ad. Partnering with Chartis Games and Super League, our job was to channel cinematic tension into a multi-arena rogue‑like, mirroring the film’s iconic Colosseum and ancient-battleground aesthetic.

We began by analyzing Fortnite’s top rogue-likes and scouted for the most engaged map styles on the platform. Co-design sessions aligned game structure and mechanics—and a six-arena progression loop—with both cinematic beats and UEFN technical constraints. The collaboration focused on thematic fidelity, replayability, and seamless integration into Fortnite Creative.

Project Description

Polyform led the full creative: game loop, arena architecture, narrative, visual assets, audio design, and UI. Every asset was custom: Colosseum designs, Roman armor and weapons, environment props, signage, and Verse scripting. The team tweaked fidelity to balance epic visuals with optimized performance.

When launched in November 2024, Gladiator Gauntlet was featured in Epic’s Picks and earned cross-channel distribution through portals in popular UEFN maps. Players could enter six arenas, battle waves, collect upgrades like health and armor, and aiming to “Defeat All 6 Arenas” with friends or solo.

Outcomes

Shipped

Six-arena rogue‑like UEFN map with upgrades and co-op

Featured

Highlighted in Epic’s Picks for weeks post-launch

Engaged

Millions of player impressions + top creator streams

Impact

Redefined branded film experiences inside Fortnite