I'm sure most of us would agree that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End left Nathan Drake and his allies on a high. The roguish treasure hunter went on one last high-stakes adventure, learned some important lessons about the real treasure being the friends he made along the way, and ultimately settled down.
The game's final moments, with a retired Nathan and Elena raising a daughter in a charming little cottage by the sea, always brings a tear to my eye. Naughty Dog knocked it out of the park in a way that felt true to Nathan's story. Even when the studio returned to the franchise briefly for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, it was done in a way that didn't detract from Uncharted 4 in any way.
Given all of this, there's some debate as to whether or not we should even have an Uncharted 5. Should it star Nathan or follow his daughter? Could a full-length Uncharted even work without Nathan? We all have our own opinions on this, although it doesn't matter all that much. Uncharted is one of PlayStation's biggest franchises, and you can bet Sony will be bringing it back - with or without Naughty Dog and Nathan Drake.
As it just so happens, an Uncharted revival could in fact already be on the way over at PlayStation. The company is currently bringing in talent for the recently established Malaysian first-party studio. The idea is that this new studio will act as support for some of the company's other first-party teams, including Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, and Santa Monica Studio.
Advert
The studio is currently on the hunt for a cinematic and in-game animator to help out with one of PlayStation's most "well-known and well-loved franchises".
"We are looking for talented, highly-motivated, and creative animators to breathe life into the next chapter of cinematic storytelling," the job advertisement reads. There's very little else to go on, and given this new studio's capacity as a support team, there's every chance they could be assisting on any one of PlayStation's "well-known" franchises, including Ratchet & Clank, God Of War, or Horizon Zero Dawn. So why Uncharted 5?
The overwhelming belief among fans is that the studio will be assisting on SIE San Diego Studio's secretive new title, which is expected to be a new entry in the Uncharted series. San Diego Studio has been recruiting a number of Naughty Dog alumni since January 2019, including folk with prominent involvement in The Last Of Us and Uncharted 4.
Advert
There's clearly still a lot in the air here, so take these reports with a pinch of salt for now. With that said, Uncharted has been gone for a long time and there was no way PlayStation was going to let one of its most "well-known and well-loved franchises" miss out on the PS5. Watch this space.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: PlayStation 5, Naughty Dog