Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is an upcoming action-adventure third-person shooter platform video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 video game console. It is the sequel to Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and is the fourth and final installment in the Uncharted series starring Nathan Drake, as well as the last in the series to be developed by Naughty Dog. The game will be released worldwide on May 10, 2016.
Plot:
Uncharted 4 is set several years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception with Nathan "Nate" Drake, now retired as a fortune hunter, settled into a normal life with his wife Elena Fisher. His world is then turned upside down when his older brother Sam, long believed to be dead, suddenly reappears seeking Drake's help. Together they embark on a globe-trotting journey in pursuit of a conspiracy behind Libertalia, a long lost pirate colony, and its fabled pooled pirate treasure. Naughty Dog outlined the game's plot as "his greatest adventure yet and will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately, what he's willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves".
Development:
On November 14, 2013, Naughty Dog released a teaser trailer for a new Uncharted game, saying that it will be released for the PlayStation 4. The trailer featured voice over by Todd Stashwick, who was to play Sam, Nathan Drake's older brother, in the game. The trailer shows an ancient map of the African continent while the voice over can be heard. The map stops at Madagascar and Île Sainte-Marie is marked, which was part of Francis Drake's travel route. A Latin sentence is written next to the drawing of a skull: Hodie mecum eris in paradiso (which translates to "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise"), a quote from the Book of Luke 23:43.
In March 2014, it was announced that Amy Hennig, the series writer and creative director, and Justin Richmond, the game director of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End at the time, had both left the studio, joining Visceral Games and Riot Games, respectively. In April 2014, Todd Stashwick, who voiced the narrator in the teaser trailer and was set to play Sam in the game, was announced to no longer be involved in the game, with the role being recast.
In June 2014, Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells revealed that game directors for The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, were now leading the project in Hennig's absence. As a result, many of the story elements and eight months of shooting were scrapped and abandoned. At the Sony E3 2014 press conference in June 2014, the title of the game was revealed to be Uncharted 4: A Thief's End along with a 2015 release window. On December 6, 2014, a gameplay demo of Uncharted 4 was shown as the initial presentation of the PlayStation Experience. Troy Baker later confirmed via Twitter that he had voiced Drake's older brother Sam, who appeared in the demo opposite Nathan Drake. Although some critics asserted that the game suffered a graphical downgrade when comparing the demo to the E3 2014 teaser trailer, Naughty Dog explained that the art direction was different in the demo, which resulted in an altering look in visuals.
On June 16, 2015, a new demo was showcased at the end of Sony's E3 Press Conference. The demo featured a much bigger environment, large amounts of destruction, new combat moves, and the return of Nathan Drake's mentor, Victor Sullivan. An extended trailer at an E3 press briefing also revealed the return of Nathan's wife Elena Fisher. On July 8, 2015, it was announced that Robin Atkin Downes would be involved in the game. While Naughty Dog originally targeted a rate of 60 frames per second for the whole game, it was announced that a 30 frames per second rate is now being targeted for the campaign, while 60 frames per second is still being targeted for the multiplayer modes. Naughty Dog previously expressed difficulties in getting the game to reach 60 frames per second, but at some point explained that they'd drop the idea if it compromised the player's experience of playing the game. During The Game Awards 2015, a new character, Nadine Ross (voiced and motion captured by Laura Bailey), was revealed.
While the multiplayer was limited to a resolution of 900p, the campaign remains at a native 1080p. At PlayStation Experience 2015, it was revealed that the game will feature player controlled dialogue options, a first in the series.
Release:
The game was originally set to be released in 2015. On March 11, 2015, Naughty Dog confirmed that Uncharted 4 was delayed to March 18, 2016 to allow for additional development time. It was delayed again on December 24, 2015 to April 26, 2016. On June 4, 2015, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection which is a remastered version of the first three in the series, was announced for the PlayStation 4. Players who purchased the collection gained access to Uncharted 4's multiplayer beta which started on December 4, 2015 and ended on December 13, 2015. The collection released on October 9, 2015 in North America.
On August 31, 2015, A Special Edition, Libertalia Collector's Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes several different in-game items and bonuses, were announced by Sony. The series' first single-player downloadable content was also announced on the same day. Naughty Dog added that they decided to develop this add-on for Uncharted 4 because it worked well in their previous game, The Last of Us. An artbook of the game, called The Art of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, is set to be launched in the first quarter of 2016.
A preview of the game was attached to the theatrical premier of Disney's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. On February 4, 2016, Sony announced a Limited Edition Uncharted 4 PlayStation 4 bundle, releasing on the same day as the game. It includes a Limited Edition 500GB PS4 console in gray blue color featuring a silk-screened image of Nathan Drake, as well as a matching DualShock 4 and a copy of the game.
On March 1, 2016, Sony announced that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will be delayed once again, this time by two weeks, to allow a simultaneous world wide release on May 10.
Controversies:
The revelation that Laura Bailey was voicing new character and villain Nadine Ross, who is of South African descent, lead to some backlash. Neil Druckmann cited websites like NeoGAF in the complaints of racial underrepresentation in acting in general. Druckmann further explained that when the character was incepted, her ethnicity was not yet determined. Bailey was chosen from the audition of casting calls from a pool of actors of black, white, American, and South African heritage, believed by Druckmann to be the best candidate for the role. Druckmann also noted that a caucasian character in the game is voiced by a black voice actor. Speaking on the controversy, Bailey stated that she did not know the character's skin tone when she came to the audition.
On February 24, 2016, Naughty Dog released the story trailer for Uncharted 4. One of the frames of the trailer included a photograph which was a concept image from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. This was quickly spotted by Ubisoft employee Azaizia Aymar and once this was realized, the trailer was taken down on the very same day and reuploaded with a new frame. In response, Naughty Dog stated they had made a "regrettable mistake", and they apologized to Ubisoft, claiming that they will take full responsibility for the error.
Additionally, Steve Valentine, the voice actor for Harry Flynn in Uncharted 2, took to Twitter to claim that he has never been contacted by Naughty Dog to reprise his role in the multiplayer beta. However, on March 7 2016, Naughty Dog community strategist Arne Meyer addressed his absence and claimed that Valentine was offered the role, but could not come to an agreement with the studio and developer to return.
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