It still feels weird to write about Uncharted (opens in new tab) in the sacred pages of a PC gaming site, but I guess I won’t have to much longer. In an interview with Buzzfeed (opens in new tab) (via GamesRadar (opens in new tab)), Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann said that the studio is “moving on” from the series, so I guess Nathan Drake’s adventure over to the PC (opens in new tab) is set to be the least one he has for the foreseeable future.
The comments came in the context of a discussion about the free-reign that Sony gives Naughty Dog over which projects it pursues. Druckmann said that, although “Uncharted was insanely successful,” and Uncharted 4 was one of the studio’s best-selling games, he didn’t feel pressure from Sony to keep churning out new games in the series. Naughty Dog was “able to put [its] final brushstroke on that story and say that [its] done”. Of course, it’d be strange if being one of Sony’s most renowned and successful developers didn’t afford you a little leeway in picking your own projects.
So farewell Drake and Sully, but Druckmann is decidedly less definite about the future of The Last of Us. He says that a potential Last of Us 3 depends on whether or not Naughty Dog can conjure up a “compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love — just like the first and second game did”. If it can, then it “will tell that story,” if not, there’s already “a very strong ending with Part 2 and that will be the end”.
I can’t say I’m torn up about the prospect of Uncharted entering retirement, if indeed it truly is. Those games are impressive showpieces with a lot of talent and production value behind them, but it’s a series that feels like it’s very much run its course at this point. I do hope that we at least get the rest of the games on PC—the Legacy of Thieves Collection only included Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy—before the series goes into that good night, though.
As for The Last of Us, well, we’re getting the first game’s remake this March (opens in new tab), and I’d bet you anything Part 2 won’t be too far behind. The series is going from strength to strength right now, thanks to the popularity of its recently-aired HBO series (opens in new tab), so I imagine Naughty Dog will manage to figure out that next story and its “statement about love” before too long. Until then, you can check out the show, wait for the first game’s release, or just keep warm with our own Fraser Brown’s nuclear-hot Last of Us takes (opens in new tab).
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