Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann has said that the California-based studio is happy for the series to continue with Uncharted 5 at another developer, provided it’s up to standard.
Speaking with GamesRadar, Druckmann, who serves as creative director on the upcoming Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, was quick to point out that Naughty Dog would have to be involved in a potential new Uncharted at some stage.
"If they made a great game I’d be excited," he said. "I’d want to play an Uncharted I didn’t work on. It’d be a lot of fun." A new Uncharted wouldn’t exist completely without Naughty Dog though: "Obviously we would have a big part in it as the creators of the franchise," states Druckmann, "we’d just want to make sure they get the essence of it right."
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is due out exclusively on PlayStation 4 on May 10, 2016. Naughty Dog has said many times that this will be the final chapter in Nathan Drake’s story, and the last effort by the studio as far as the franchise goes.
Set three years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Nate’s final outing sees the cocky fortune hunter teaming up with his long-time mentor Sully and brother Sam, as the trio set off in search of a treasure horde once owned by the legendary English pirate, Henry Every.
Uncharted 4 will advance the series’ formula with the addition of larger environments to explore, plus enhanced combat abilities such as stealth and brawling attacks. The multiplayer suite has also been spruced up to accommodate AI-controlled buddies and the use of mystical elements plucked from past Uncharted games.
While Naughty Dog is done with Uncharted, the studio has said that it has at least one more PS4 game coming out down the line. Check out the latest gameplay for Uncharted 4 here.