A remake of Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog’s 2007 action-adventure game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, was in development at one point.
During the latest episode of the Sacred Symbols+ podcast on the Last Stand Media YouTube channel, modder and preservationist Michael Kemp discussed Sony Interactive Entertainment and Visual Arts Support Group’s plans for an Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune remake several years ago. According to him, the project dates back to around 2018, when the studio reportedly pitched the remake before eventually transitioning to The Last of Us Part I.
Kemp revealed that the development team created a small vertical slice to demonstrate what a modern remake of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune would look like. According to him, traces of the prototype are present in The Last of Us Part II’s game files, as both projects used the same engine. Kemp identified it as the the cutscene in which Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, and Victor Sullivan fly toward the island before Sully’s plane is shot down, forcing Nate and Elena to parachute to safety. He mentioned that the sequence was effectively rebuilt using Uncharted 4-quality visuals as a proof of concept before being presented internally.
However, Kemp believes Sony Interactive Entertainment ultimately determined that a remake of Drake’s Fortune would require more extensive redesign work than originally expected. “I think Uncharted 1 needs a bit more modernization in terms of the levels and maybe some of the set pieces and things like that,” he said. “So they decided, ‘No, we’ll not do that. We’ll do one that needs a bit less modernizing,’ and that’s how they endd up with The Last of Us [Part I].”
While the remake of the first game in the Uncharted series may have been shelved, a new entry may be in development at Naughty Dog. In April, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy co-director Shaun Escayg took to social media to share a picture of a scenic view from Fort George in Trinidad and Tobago alongside the text “Research…” Read about it here.
