It’s a sad day for Uncharted fans, with arguably the biggest PlayStation 4 exclusive of 2015 being pushed back until next year.
Uncharted 4 directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann announced the news on the PlayStation Blog.
What happened?
According to Naughty Dog, the project’s scope turned out to be way more ambitious than the studio had originally planned. That could mean some element of feature creep as development progressed, but more likely, it probably has something to do with the game’s behind-the-scenes troubles over the past couple of years.
What kind of troubles?
Just months after the game was announced in November 2013, the project’s lead writer and director both left the studio within a few weeks of each other. No specific reason was ever given, but rumors circulated concerning a difference of vision between Naughty Dog and their publisher, Sony.
The following month, voice actor Todd Stashwick, who provided the narration in the original teaser and was set to play a new character named Sam, was removed from the project, with the role being recast. Again, no specific reason was given for this sudden change.
In June 2014, The Last of Us directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley were chosen to oversee the game. While the two were a fantastic choice to lead the team, given the shake-ups that occurred just prior to their arrival, it’s no surprise that it threw the development schedule out of whack.
With all of that in mind, it’s really no surprise that Uncharted 4 is going to miss its original 2015 release window.
When will we get to play it?
Naughty Dog/Sony have not revealed an new official release date, but “spring 2016” is what they’re aiming for.
