Uncharted 5 is still on the table, says Naughty Dog

Uncharted protagonist Nathan Drake studying an artefact

(Image credit: Naughty Dog / Sony)

Developer Naughty Dog has said it may return to the Uncharted series and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of developing Uncharted 5.

In the lead-up to the release of the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, GamesRadarspoke to Shaun Escayg, creative director on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and cinematic animator on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, about the upcoming title.

Asked about the future of the franchise, Margenau said the possibility of Naughty Dog making another Uncharted game was still alive. "I think we can say for certain that we can never say never,” Escayg said.

Analysis: Uncharted without Nathan Drake

Uncharted protagonist Nathan Drake sitting on a motorbike with his brother — (Image credit: Naughty Dog / Sony)

It would be tempting to think Naughty Dog has moved on from Uncharted. Over four years since the release of the series’ last installment, and with the roaring success of The Last of Us still echoing in the ears of eager fans, Nathan Drake’s treasure-hunting escapades could well be a thing of the past. After all, series creator Amy Hennig left Naughty Dog back in 2014, and no future releases in the series have been teased by Sony.

Although Escayg’s comments to GamesRadar don’t suggest anything concrete, they make clear that Naughty Dog remains open to developing future Uncharted titles. With protagonist Nathan Drake’s storyline fittingly wrapped up in Uncharted 4, it wouldn’t be surprising if any future games centered on one or more secondary characters, much like Lost Legacy did.

There are plenty to choose from. Alongside Lost Legacy's Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, Drake's business partner Sully and his brother Sam make for fitting protagonists, and even team up at the end of the fourth game.

Don’t be expecting a new Uncharted game soon, though. With the film releasing soon on the big screen, publisher Sony might be poised to let the franchise’s extended material do most of the money-making legwork, while Naughty Dog pursues other creative video game projects on the small screen and, likely, gets to work on The Last of Us 3.

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Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games.