Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann has said that the developer plans to move on from the Uncharted series.
In an interview with Buzzfeed about The Last Of Us HBO Series, Druckmann spoke on whether they would be making a third entry to The Last Of Us series. He replied that they would if they thought there was a compelling story to tell, and that just because something was successful doesn’t mean it should have more sequels using Uncharted as an example saying that they were done with the franchise.
“People think there’s all this pressure and we have to make a sequel. That’s not the case. For us, Uncharted was insanely successful — Uncharted 4 was one of our best-selling games — and we’re able to put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we’re done. We’re moving on”.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, released in 2016 was the final mainline game in the Uncharted series and acted as a conclusive finale to the story of the protagonist Nathan Drake. Since then Uncharted 4 has received a standalone expansion called ‘Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’ starring side character Chloe Frazer. In 2022, the series was also adapted into a live-action movie starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.
Of course, it’s possible that Druckmann could just be referring to Uncharted games with Nathan Drake as the central character. It’s also possible that while Naughty Dog is done with Uncharted, another developer could pick up the series later down the line.
On a personal note, I do agree that not all games need constant sequels. Sometimes it’s you’ve done all you can with an IP it’s ok to let it rest and end the franchise on a high note. It seems Naughty Dog very much thinks the same.