From the moment Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
was released in 2007, Sony knew it had a hit
series on its hands.
Uncharted has gone on to become one of the
most revered series in gaming, achieving massive
critical acclaim for its action-packed set
pieces and well-crafted narratives.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, released in May
2016, was another massive hit.
So, more than two years later, why hasn't
Sony released Uncharted 5?
Here are a few guesses…
End of an era
By the time the credits roll in A Thief's
End, it's obvious that protagonist Nathan
Drake's time as a globe-trotting treasure
hunter is up.
Creative Director Neil Druckmann told The
Sun that Uncharted 4 is, quote, "the end for
Nathan Drake," explaining,
"I feel like the best way to honor him is
to go out on top, to finish his story."
But that's not to say there won't be another
Uncharted title at some point.
After all, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a standalone
expansion to Uncharted 4 without Nathan Drake,
was released in August 2017.
And Lost Legacy's Creative Director Shaun
Escayg told Eurogamer in June 2017 that there
are still plenty of Uncharted stories to tell:
"I wouldn’t say [Lost Legacy is] the end.
This thieving world is huge.
There’s so many characters.
[...] [T]o say the Uncharted world is done,
[…] I doubt that highly."
So why haven't we heard any rumblings about
the next numbered installment?
Priorities
Despite the bleaker, more adult tone, 2013's
post-apocalyptic adventure The Last of Us
shone through with everything that made Uncharted
great — a well-told story, authentic dialogue,
and frantic, highly cinematic set-pieces.
It all had the hallmarks of a Naughty Dog
classic, and was a huge success.
Announced during Sony's 2016 PlayStation Experience,
the highly anticipated The Last of Us Part
II doesn't even have a release date, as of
the making of this video, so Naughty Dog clearly
has its hands full.
It seems unlikely the studio would want to
divide its workforce to develop another huge
game like Uncharted 5 simultaneously — if
they even could.
When Lost Legacy was in development in June
2017, Escayg told Eurogamer,
"We have a truly ambitious schedule.
[The Last of Us Part II] is working but at
a lot slower pace right now.
The entire team is on Lost Legacy — that’s
a couple hundred of us strong."
So Uncharted 5 might not be in the works yet
simply because Naughty Dog doesn't have the
manpower to develop two triple-A titles at
the same time.
What about handing it over to a new developer?
Druckmann told GamesRadar in April 2016 that
he's open to that idea:
"If [a new developer] made a great game I’d
be excited.
I’d want to play an Uncharted I didn't work
on.
It’d be a lot of fun.
Obviously [Naughty Dog] would have a big part
in it as the creators of the franchise.
We’d just want to make sure they get the
essence of it right."
The multiplayer dilemma
With "Battle Royale"-style games such as Fortnite
and PUBG all the rage, Sony and the developers
have a tough choice on their hands regarding
the next Uncharted title.
Do they refine the pre-existing Uncharted
multiplayer formula, or overhaul it and make
Uncharted 5's multiplayer mode jump on the
Battle Royale bandwagon?
Making the switch could certainly pay off,
but it could also hamper development, considering
it's such a radical departure from the matches
the engine is currently capable of handling.
Tweaking multiplayer features could be partly
to blame for why Naughty Dog has yet to set
a firm release date for The Last of Us Part
II.
In June 2018, co-director Kurt Margenau told
GameSpot,
"Multiplayer is coming back [in The Last of
Us Part II].
We're not going to talk details yet about
what form that takes, but we can confirm there
will be multiplayer."
Cinematic synergy
With an Uncharted prequel movie in the works
starring Spider-Man: Homecoming's Tom Holland,
it makes sense for Sony and Naughty Dog to
wait and release Uncharted 5 and the still-unnamed
flick together.
But there's no telling when the film is going
to be released.
It's been in development for more than a decade,
but the project now has a few promising names
attached.
ScreenRant reported in January 2018 that Night
at the Museum and Stranger Things director
Shawn Levy is helming the origin story, while
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. writer and producer
Rafe Judkins is writing the screenplay.
Rumor has it
Uncharted 5 might already be in the works,
according to a report from Game Revolution,
but as of the making of this video, it's just
a rumor.
In April 2018, Sony posted a job listing for
a Lead Gameplay Animator to help create a
title that sure sounds a lot like Uncharted.
Plus, the studio Sony is staffing is partnering
with Visual Arts Service Group, the team responsible
for helping to bring previous Uncharted titles
to life.
Only time will tell if this unannounced title
turns out to be Uncharted 5, but it looks
promising.
That would put the release date in a way-too-distant
future for many fans, but it would also set
Sony up for yet another record-shattering
blockbuster exclusive, following 2018's God
of War and The Last of Us Part II, which is
a safe bet for 2019.
