Naughty Dog Is Reportedly Working On A New Uncharted Game
The (treasure) hunt is on, with the latest whispers claiming Naughty Dog is working on a new Uncharted game. It's been nearly four years since we last dived into the world of Nathan Drake and his treasure-hunting friends. Although Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was the first game not to feature Drake, it was also the last time we visited the acclaimed action-adventure franchise. While the future of Uncharted is uncertain, no one is really buying the idea that the IP will remain buried for long.
Starting with 2007's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the gaming giant has gone from strength to strength in terms of main series entries, spinoffs, and even a long-awaited live-action movie with Mark Wahlberg and Tom Holland. Although Uncharted has remained dormant for a few years, let's remember Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann has teased some exciting developments in the near future.
What is the new Uncharted game?
According to a report from Bloomberg, Sony optioned Bend Studio to work on a new Uncharted game. The Days Gone Developer would've been new to the series, so it's unclear why Bend was given the chance to take over from Naughty Dog. Considering Naughty Dog was known as the overseer of Uncharted for the entirety of its run, it seems strange that another developer would be handed the property. None of that matters anyway, because the scoop from Jason Schreier suggests Bend's game never got anywhere.
After Bend had its plans for Days Gone 2 rejected due to a lengthy production process, the developer was given the chance to work on a new Uncharted, with Naughty Dog watching from a distance. The site explains, "One team at the studio was assigned to help Naughty Dog with a multiplayer game while a second group was assigned to work on a new Uncharted game with supervision from Naughty Dog".
Apparently, several members of staff at Bend were unhappy with these plans and feared the studio would be absorbed into Naughty Dog. This is a relatively recent development, and according to Schreier, Bend bosses got their wish last month when they were taken off the Uncharted game. The question is, what happens next?
Will we still see a new Uncharted game?
The major talking point is that Sony was powering ahead with a new Uncharted that would've undoubtedly been a PlayStation exclusive for the PlayStation 5 and maybe even the PlayStation 4. There's also no mention of it being a next-gen upgrade of an old Uncharted game, suggesting Nathan Drake might finally be ready to return to our consoles. Responding to questions about whether the new Uncharted game is still in the works, Schreier admitted he didn't know and reiterated it was "all on paper at Bend”.
Elsewhere, the Bloomberg report said Sony Corp.’s Visual Arts Service Group founder Michael Mumbauer had once recruited around 30 developers to work on a remake of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us for PlayStation 5. Sadly, it also sounds like this has also slipped into development hell. With Uncharted arguably being Naughty Dog's biggest franchise to date, the idea of returning for Uncharted 5 makes a lot of sense. Will the acclaimed developer unearth another mound of gold or are we lost in the wilderness with wild rumours and whispers? We'll have to mark this one on the treasure map for now.
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