It’s been 10 years since we last saw Nathan Drake’s journey come to an end in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and while developer Naughty Dog is busy with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the devs are looking to bring back the franchise to steal our hearts once more.
Note that this article will spoil the ending of Uncharted 4, so if there is the off-chance that you’ve yet to finish the game, I suggest not proceeding ahead.
New Uncharted Will Have Nathan Drake in It in Some Capacity
According to sources familiar with the situation, Naughty Dog is working on a new Uncharted game. Now, given that Uncharted 4 ended with Nathan Drake basically old and with a kid, it would be an easy assumption to make that perhaps his daughter will take on the treasure-hunting duties.
While we can’t confirm that, what we’ve been told is that the new Uncharted title will have Nathan Drake in some form, though as the protagonist or a side character, cameo, we can’t nail down for sure now.
Also of note, this is an all-new Uncharted game, and not a remake of any kind. In previous years, Naughty Dog was seemingly toying with the idea of an Uncharted 1 remake, and we can put to rest that this in-development Uncharted game isn’t that.
In addition to that, we were told that this new Uncharted project is the next game Naughty Dog will work on and release after Intergalactic, with The Last of Us Part III as the next project after that.
Directing this new Uncharted project is Shaun Escayag, who was the Creative Director of Marvel’s Avengers — Crystal Dynamics’ failed attempt at a multiplayer looter brawler that actually had a single-player portion, though bogged down by GaaS (games-as-a-service) elements. Not only that, but Escayag is also familiar with the franchise, having directed the standalone expansion to Uncharted 4 titled Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which featured Chloe in the driver’s seat.
Before The Last of Us became big, Naughty Dog found a ton of success with the release of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune in 2007, and this continued until the game’s last mainline entry in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2016. While Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was pushed out in 2017, it served as a standalone expansion and the first title in the franchise that did not feature Nathan Drake as the protagonist. Since then, Sony has put the IP on ice, only reviving it with the release of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC in 2022.
Bear in mind that, with Naughty Dog focused on Intergalactic, don’t expect this to be announced anytime soon, and planned projects change, so don’t be surprised if The Last of Us Part III is somehow prioritized before this.
In related news, Naughty Dog confirmed recently that the studio is working on multiple The Last of Us projects, which should be good news for fans of the franchise. This means that the studio has Intergalactic, The Last of Us Part 3, another TLOU-related project, and a new Uncharted game brewing in the oven.