New Uncharted Game Reportedly in the Works at Naughty Dog

A new report claims Naughty Dog is developing a brand-new Uncharted game starring Nathan Drake, with Shaun Escayg leading the project. Prominent leaker NateTheHate has corroborated the rumor.

Could Nathan Drake be dusting off his treasure map for one more adventure? If the latest rumors are anything to go by, a brand-new Uncharted game might be in development at Naughty Dog — and it could be the studio's next big project after Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

The rumor started with a report from MP1st, which claims — according to its sources — that an all-new Uncharted is on the way. Not a remake, mind you, but a fresh entry in the series. The report says it'll star Nathan Drake in some capacity, though it's unclear whether he'll be the protagonist. Leading the project is reportedly Shaun Escayg, who has serious Uncharted pedigree. He was lead cinematic designer on Uncharted 4 and later director on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. More recently, he served as creative director on Crystal Dynamics' Marvel's Avengers.

Now, rumors like this are usually worth a healthy pinch of salt. But this one got a major boost from prominent leaker NateTheHate, who's best known for accurately leaking the Switch 2 reveal, plus the existence of the Star Fox and Zelda: Ocarina of Time remakes. Earlier this week on Twitter, he hinted he'd heard "minor details" about a project in the works from Escayg at Naughty Dog. After the MP1st report dropped, he was pressed on ResetEra and confirmed: "Yes, a new Uncharted is what I was referring to."

That said, NateTheHate isn't backing every part of the report. Specifically, he's not corroborating the claim that The Last of Us Part 3 is planned to come after this apparent new Uncharted game. Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann did reconfirm this week that two Last of Us projects are in the works at the studio, but they're in the "very early stages." As for the future of the franchise, NateTheHate says, "I don't know anything about the future TLOU projects at this time."

So where does that leave us? Only time will tell, as always. For now, Naughty Dog's main focus is clearly Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which is set for a proper reveal sometime next year. The studio has its hands full, and any new Uncharted would presumably be a ways off.

It's also worth remembering that Uncharted: Drake's Fortune "is rough around the edges," according to an ex-Naughty Dog designer, and "went through a whole lot of hell during development." The series has come a long way since then, and a new entry would carry plenty of expectations.

What do you think? Would you want another Uncharted with Nathan Drake, or is it time for someone new to take the spotlight? Let us know in the comments.