Voice actor Troy Baker has touched on his recent casting as Nathan Drake’s older sibling, Sam, in the forthcoming Naughty Dog PlayStation 4-exclusive sequel, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Speaking with the final episode of Up At Noon (via Powerupgaming) by IGN’s Greg Miller, Baker noted that recasts are commonplace within the industry, referring to the fact he replaced actor Todd Stashwick in the role.
Said Baker: "It was actually just, ‘We want to take the character in a different direction, we want to take the story in a different direction’, and so there was a lot of stuff that changed. And I really applaud Naughty Dog for being able to come in and go, ‘Okay, let’s roll up our sleeves, let’s get really, really dirty, and let’s do this.’ It’s just, things happen, and you’re like, ‘Okay, you’re clearly talented, but this isn’t working the way we want.’ It not a reflection on the actor, it’s just the story changes; the character changes."
He also described coming onto the project as a “huge fanboy” of co-star and Nathan Drake voice actor, Nolan North. Baker was equally full of praise for Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann, who are heading up development of Uncharted 4.
“I’m consistently and constantly humbled and impressed and inspired by those guys… As a game designer, the way that [Straley’s] mind works leaves me in the dust. Neil is a very accomplished game designer as well, so having that asset, as well as being the most brilliant directors I’ve ever worked with, [they’re] just phenomenal."
Uncharted 4 is scheduled to ship exclusively for PS4 in 2015. Naughty Dog previously commented that it won’t push for 60fps if it compromises the player’s experience.