One of Sony’s most popular series, Uncharted may have reached the height of its popularity on PlayStation 3, but it is still remembered fondly by many fans. Because of this, it may seem strange that the series has not received a remake or more remasters — something designer Benson Russel believes should not happen.
In an interview with FRVR, Russel, who worked at Naughty Dog for more than 10 years, said that every game in the series is already quite easy to access today. Because of this, it would not make much sense to spend resources improving something that players can already easily enjoy.
The designer worked on the first three Uncharted games, which were originally released on PlayStation 3 before being remastered for PlayStation 4 — and they can also be played on PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility. According to him, the best thing that could happen to the series right now would be a new game.
Former Naughty Dog Designer Explains Why Uncharted Remakes Would Make Little Sense
“System Shock… a remake of that now makes a lot of sense,” Russel explained (thanks VGC). “Because not just can you play it, but it had horrible key bindings, it kept a lot of people out of it from wanting to play it,” the developer added.
He also believes that Uncharted’s gameplay systems still feel modern, so there are not many reasons to remake the series. However, that did not stop Naughty Dog from re-releasing the two The Last of Us games several times, even though a similar point could be made about them.
For Russel, making changes to Nathan Drake’s story would involve rewriting the story and adding new scenes, which could hurt the spirit of his adventures. “I honestly thought the same thing about The Last of Us Part 1… these are old games for a reason,” he explained.
The designer believes the best thing the studio can do now is bring the series back while respecting its original spirit. Its most recent release came in 2022 with the launch of the Legacy of Thieves Collection, and since then, none of the rumors about a possible return have become a reality.
