Summary
At the height of its popularity, theUnchartedfranchise was undoubtedly one of Sony’s crown jewels. From the 2007 release ofUncharted: Drake’s Fortuneto 2016’sUncharted 4: A Thief’s End, the series created the blueprint for thrilling action-adventure games with some of the most elaborate and creative set pieces the genre had ever seen. Since protagonist Nathan Drake’s fourth outing though, aside from a fun, albeit short spin-off titledUncharted: Lost Legacy, developer Naughty Dog did say it’s seemingly done withUncharted. Many fans are still hoping for a new installment in the franchise, and if this does eventually happen, the series should avoid something many franchises have succumbed to over the years - a reboot.
Reboots are extremely common in the video game industry and are seen as a way to re-introduce a popular IP while wiping the slate clean and starting fresh, allowing popular characters to go in new and unexpected narrative directions. While they can work in some instances, such asDoomandTomb Raider, both of which successfully found a new audience thanks to stellar reboots, in others they feel unnecessary, and they undo much of the stellar work which goes into character development and the IP’s overarching narrative. Popular series such asDevil May CryandSonic the Hedgehoghave rebootedto disastrous effect in the last couple of decades.
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Uncharted’s Narrative Has Been Built on Solid Foundations
Over the years, the adventures of Nathan Drake have gotten progressively more extravagant, and he has emerged as one ofPlayStation’s most likable and well-rounded mascots. His arc has seen him transform from a reckless young treasure hunter into a devoted father and husband, and to throw this way in favor of a reboot would feel extremely redundant for those who have joined Nate on his journey.
Events duringUncharted 4: A Thief’s End’s Epilogue appeared to bring the curtain down onNathan Drake’s time as the series lead. An aging Nate is shown with his teenage daughter Cassie, as he shares with her stories of some of his many incredible adventures. Naughty Dog, or another developer if the series is handed out to a different studio, could potentially create a new story that happens somewhere between events in the final chapter ofUncharted 4and the epilogue sequence roughly 15 years later. There’s a chance thatUncharted 4was not the last dangerous adventure Nate went on, so there’s a plethora of avenues to explore that would allow the protagonist to still be the face of the series a little longer.
That being said, there’s no reason why his daughter Cassie couldn’t pick up the ball her father puts down and continue to run with it. Picking up a few short years afterUncharted 4’s epilogue would find Cassie as a young woman, probably eager to go on her own adventures and follow in the footsteps of her parents. Her father could even join her, becomingthe Sully to her Nathan Drake, allowing him to come full circle and giving his arc probably the most satisfying conclusion possible.
The2022Unchartedmoviedid not follow the video game continuity and presented a much younger Nathan Drake portrayed by Tom Holland. It is seen as a reboot of sorts by fans and was met with mixed reception from both critics and the series' fan base, despite its box office success. This could serve as a cautionary tale should the series ever be rebooted. The developer should instead find a way to takeUnchartedforward naturally while continuing to cultivate the narrative it has taken so long to build.
