Following the release of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Creative Director Shaun Escayg stated that there were “ no immediate plans [for another Uncharted game]. ” However, Escayg refused to rule out any future developments, believing “ you’ve got quite a vast amount of cast to pull from in the future if you so wanted.”
Given that production for the movie, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, is well underway, it's unsurprising that rumors are now beginning to circulate regarding the future for the Uncharted series. Multiple teaser pictures were revealed on New Year's Day , giving an insight into the setting for Nathan and Sully's cinematic debut, and now a listing on LinkedIn has potentially pointed towards some recent developments at Sony.
FORMER STUDIO HEAD BREAKS SILENCE
In a post on the r/GamingLeaksandRumours Reddit page , user Poklane has revealed that a post on Michael Mumbauer's, former Studio Head/Senior Director of Visual Arts, LinkedIn page has given insight into the day-to-day workings of Sony's recently formed “San Diego” team. Mumbauer's profile bio reveals that his team is based in San Diego and is tasked to “ expand upon existing franchises ”.
His latest achievement is having built a brand new, all-star, AAA Action/Adventure development team for Playstation. Based in San Diego and utilizing proprietary engine technology, this team was assembled to expand upon existing franchises and craft all new stories for the next generation of gamers.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Rumors of a second Sony studio based in San Diego have been circulating since 2018, mostly circulated by former Sony senior designer John Bautista, who recently announced his departure from the studio in November of last year. Interestingly, Sony has never officially announced the formation of the studio, potentially hinting towards a secret project being worked on in the background.
Given that Naughty Dog has spent the last few years developing its most recent title, The Last of Us Part II, the choice to pass the Uncharted series on to a different developer would make sense, given that Sony would still be in control. Mumbauer's claims of working on an “ all-star, AAA Action/Adventure ” tie in nicely with a new release for the franchise, and following a number of new job listings for the company , something big may be in the works.
With the PlayStation 5 now available worldwide, Sony will be looking to benefit as much as they can from one of their most successful developers, so fans will have to wait and see if Nathan Drake is poised to make his next-generation debut.
XBOX Writer