The PlayStation brand has built up an eclectic and beloved range of leading icons in its 20+ years on the market. Some have disappeared without a trace, while others have not only endured and survived the shifting marketing conditions and trends within the games industry, but have ultimately become stronger as a result. Nathan Drake, Lara Croft, Jill Valentine, Kratos, SackBoy, Ratchet & Clank, Batman, and Solid Snake are just some examples of the strength of the PlayStation brand that stands true to this day as PS4 enters its second year on the market
Still, it makes us wonder. No-one can survive indefinitely; there has to be casualties in the market, as companies inevitably move on to other franchises, run out of ideas, or simply want to draw a proverbial line under a particular series once and for all. So, with some of our favorite characters getting a little long in the tooth, who could potentially kick the bucket this generation?
Let’s find out.
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NATHAN DRAKE
Uncharted’s cocky fortune hunter has the luck of the Irish when it comes to survival, having evaded a grisly death by sub-humans in Drake’s Fortune, turning into a popsicle in Among Thieves, and dying of thirst after being lumbered in a baking desert in Drake’s Deception. Oh, and that’s not including the unquantifiable number of times he’s been shot at or nearly fallen to his death. But with A Thief’s End looking like the final curtain, could Nate finally be off to that great treasure trove in the sky? We think there’s about as much chance of Drake ending up brown bread by the time UC4’s credits roll as any—and if not him, then definitely someone close, such as Sully or Elena.
CHRIS REDFIELD
Chris has come a long way since its days as a S.T.A.R.S. member. After the Mansion Incident and Rockfort Island, the former Alpha Team Marksman started pushing some serious weight, bulking up to a hulking, muscle-bound action hero that still didn’t seem to stop him from getting his arse kicked by his long-time nemesis, Wesker. Still, with the blonde baddie now vanquished, and Chris not getting any younger, we think his time could finally be at an end. Not only that, but Capcom seems to have a penchant for killing off only minor characters (the last major cast addition to bite the dust was Steve Burnside in CODE: Veronica back in 2000), so isn’t it about time they had the balls to kill of a major player? Chris certainly sounds like a good candidate, and being one of the original Resi heroes, his death would have meaningful impact.
JOEL
Joel may be a grizzly-looking chap, but he’s a spring chicken compared to some of the characters on this list, having only been introduced on PS3 last generation. Despite this, given the brutal nature of The Last of Us’ post-apocalyptic landscape, we can’t say we expect him to survive when the inevitable sequel eventually shows its face. He’s getting on a bit after all, and Ellie is an ideal candidate for a returning character, having survived the Fungal pandemic thanks to the skills and fatherly love that Joel has passed on to her. Plus, Joel has already been at death’s door before; wouldn’t it be that much more shocking if Naughty Dog took it all the way this time and killed Joel off? It’d definitely put a whole new perspective on things.
HEIHACHI MISHIMA
Tekken’s answer to the World’s Worst Dad may not be the series’ resident pensioner (that honor goes to Wang), but there’s no denying that Heihachi has been living on borrowed time for about a decade now. At last count, he’s been thrown off a cliff, chucked through a brick wall, blown up, and beaten to a pulp by his grandson/son on various occasions. Surely it’s time to throw in the towel, Namco? The fact he’s survived such ridiculous punishment is surely a testament to his continued popularity, at least in Japan; but with the Mishima saga looking to come to an end with Tekken 7, we couldn’t think of a more appropriate for Heihachi to finally succumb to age or Kazuya’s Wind Godfist—whichever comes first.
KRATOS
God of War’s perpetually pissed-off anti-hero may have taken a meaty sword to the chest at the climax of God of War III, but his ultimate fate is officially left ambiguous. And for good reason, we reckon; he’s not really dead. Not yet, anyway. However, whenever the inevitable God of War 4 comes knocking, we reckon that Sony will finally bring the curtains down on Kratos’s reign as one of PlayStation’s unofficial mascots. After that, it’s probably likely we’ll see a continuation of the series, but a reboot is probably on the cards at this point.
Who do you think will bite the bullet this hardware cycle? Give us a shout below!