14 DAY TRIAL // Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is one of the most widely expected video games of the year and a recent statement from co-director Neil Druckmann suggests that the main characters of the much-loved series might be dead by the time the single-player story ends, presumably sacrificing himself to protect the ones he loves.
According to a new interview quoted by Reddit, the developer explained that his team is unwilling to change its position that Nathan Drake will no longer be used in any future video game projects.
He then added, "He’s at the height of his popularity, so it’s not a good business decision. But I feel like the best way to honour him is to go out on top, to finish his story. But with the end of this story, it will be hard to do a sequel with Nathan Drake."
Death is one of the simplest ways for Naughty Dog to make sure that there's no way for them to create another adventure featuring the characters, but Druckmann muddled the water a little by suggesting that they might be interested in delivering a prequel.
There's also a chance that a new lead might be selected to carry the Uncharted name forward, presumably one that will also feature heavily in the coming A Thief's End.
The single-player narrative of the coming video game will focus on the relationship between Nathan Drake and his long lost brother Sam as the two join forces and interact with a large cast of characters as they seek the land of Libertalia and the massive treasure associated with it.
Naughty Dog claims that more emotion is being delivered than in any previous installment and that it will use dialogue trees to add some variety to the experience, although the core elements will remain linear.
The game was delayed from March to give the developers the time they need to polish the core experience.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will also feature a complex multiplayer mode
The story of Nathan Drake is crucial to the success of the coming video game, but Naughty Dog wants to make sure that fans remain engaged with it for as long as possible.
For the first time, single-player downloadable content is planned for the Uncharted experience, set to arrive all through the year, with those interested in experiencing them all able to get a Season Pass.
The development team is also delivering a multiplayer mode that will use a wide number of characters that have appeared in the franchise over the year as well as many of the artifacts that Nathan Drake interacted with.
The battles are designed to encourage teamwork, and the company says that after the beta period that took place in 2015, it is exploring the possibility of delivering larger maps that open up a new range of possible tactics.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will be launched on April 26 in North America and one day later in Europe and can only be played on the PlayStation 4 home console from Sony.