New Uncharted Game Reportedly in Development with a Familiar Name Taking the Lead

Naughty Dog may have more up its sleeve than its long-awaited sci-fi project. According to a new report, the studio may be developing a new Uncharted game behind the scenes, reportedly led by a director with deep ties to the franchise.

The studio is yet to confirm the project, but the report adds a few concrete details to speculation that’s been building for months.

Naughty Dog’s Secret Project Might Just Be a New Uncharted Game

The studio has unannounced games in the pipeline | Credit: Naughty Dog

Citing sources familiar with the situation, the recent reports state that Naughty Dog has a new Uncharted title in active development, directed by Shaun Escayg, the creative director and writer behind 2017’s Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. According to MP1st, Nathan Drake will appear in the game in some form, though it’s not clear whether he’ll return as the lead, in a supporting role, or only briefly. The project is also being built as a new installment in the series, and is not just a remake or remaster of an earlier entry.

The sources of the said report also place the game within Naughty Dog’s release order: the new Uncharted is reportedly slated to follow Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the studio’s original sci-fi IP, with The Last of Us Part III coming after that. The studio has confirmed Intergalactic will get a full reveal sometime in 2027, but the studio hasn’t announced an actual release date for it, so any timeline for the Uncharted project remains speculative.

Escayg’s own history also lines up with the claim. He worked on Uncharted 4 before taking the creative director and writing credit on The Lost Legacy, then left Naughty Dog for Crystal Dynamics, where he served as creative director on Marvel’s Avengers, before returning to the former in 2021.

Why The Recent Rumors Have Everyone Excited

A new Uncharted game might be on the way | Credit: Naughty Dog

The recent reports don’t exist in a vacuum. Earlier this year, Escayg posted a photo of an old cannon at what fans identified as Fort George in Trinidad and Tobago, captioned simply “Research,” which fans quickly connected to Uncharted’s globe-trotting premise. Around the same time, the leaker Alir said publicly that Naughty Dog’s second game was Uncharted and that Escayg was directing it.

More recently, the insider NateTheHate had already indicated that Escayg’s project wasn’t connected to The Last of Us, a day before reports started landing more specific claims.

Moreover, it’s important to note that none of this amounts to an official confirmation, and Naughty Dog’s development cycles tend to run long, so any announcement is likely still a bit away.

Are you looking forward to a new Uncharted title? Drop your expectations in the comments below and let us know!