Speaking during a livestream event overnight (via GameSpot), Naughty Dog confirmed that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End won’t have split-screen multiplayer for launch.
Robert Cogburn did however indicate that the feature could be implemented at a later date, though wouldn’t make any promises. He went on to note that the studio would have to overcome many “hurdles and obstacles” in order to get split-screen up and running.
As such, Naughty Dog scrapped the idea of having it for launch in order to meet the game’s May 10 release date. Nothing is set in stone even after release however, and thus split-screen was not included in the multiplayer roadmap released earlier this week.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the final instalment in the popular action-adventure series to feature Nathan Drake, and is also Naughty Dog’s last game in the franchise. However, there’s a possibility another studio may take over the development reins at some point down the line.
The Santa Monica outfit has definitely gone out with a bang though, with Uncharted 4 boasting a number of major gameplay enhancements, including improved stealth and brawling mechanics, plus large-scale environments to explore.
Uncharted has sold over 21 million copies to date since the series launch with Drake’s Fortune back in 2007. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves hit PS3 in 2009, becoming one of the highest-rated games on Metacritic and a showpiece for console visuals.
Naughty Dog closed out the trilogy with Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception two years later, while Sony Bend headed up the PlayStation Vita-exclusive outing Uncharted: Golden Abyss in 2012. The PS3 trilogy was later remastered as Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection in October 2015.
Stay tuned to PSU for our Uncharted 4 review later today.