Naughty Dog Was Working on Uncharted 5 Before Pandemic, Says Insider

A new report from reputable insider Tom Henderson suggests that Naughty Dog was working on Uncharted 5 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The Uncharted series stands as one of PlayStation’s most beloved action-adventure franchise, following the story of Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter, who embarks on adventures filled with danger, mystery, and breathtaking discoveries. The series has managed to ship over 40 million copies worldwide and is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which made its debut in 2016, marked the conclusion of Nathan Drake’s journey and brought his personal story to a satisfying end. While Naughty Dog followed it up with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy in 2017, the title was a standalone expansion that made members of the supporting cast playable instead. Ever since, fans of the franchise have been eagerly hoping for a new entry that features Nathan Drake. Unfortunately, Naughty Dog has never officially confirmed plans for a new installment, but it seems like the studio had, at some point, been exploring exactly that.

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Naughty Dog Was Reportedly Working on Uncharted 5

In the latest episode of Insider Gaming’s podcast, Tom Henderson weighed in on the swirling Uncharted 5 rumors that have taken the internet by storm. These were sparked by Naughty Dog’s creative director, Shaun Escayg, who took to Instagram to post a picture of a cannon from Fort George in Trinidad and Tobago, tagging it as research work. The community quickly began to connect the dots, speculating that this teaser could be another new Uncharted game. Henderson shed further light on the situation by stating that this isn’t the first time the idea of Uncharted 5 has been on the table at Naughty Dog. He stated that some degree of planning for the game was underway before the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt.

Adding fuel to these rumors is a recent statement from Vinit Agarwal, as spotted by Tech4Gamers. He was involved with the now-canceled Last of Us multiplayer game and revealed that at the time of its cancellation, Naughty Dog had two single-player games in development. One of them is the upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. However, it’s still unknown what the second project is, but given that the Uncharted series has been quiet since 2017, many are betting it could be a new entry in the series.

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The idea of a brand-new Uncharted game is quite exciting, as the franchise holds a lot of storytelling potential, and failing to explore it further through new titles would feel like a missed opportunity. With an Uncharted movie sequel confirmed to be in development, it could generate renewed interest in the series and help grow its player base, especially if a new game releases alongside it.

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However, it’s crucial to take these rumors and reports with a grain of salt. Recently, Neil Druckmann hinted that more could be coming for The Last of Us series in the near future. Some fans speculate that the second game Naughty Dog is working on could be another Last of Us title. Regardless, it seems like the developer is finally back on track with delivering quality single-player games after years without a major release.