Naughty Dog reportedly explored bringing Uncharted: Drake's Fortune to modern hardware, but the project never moved beyond an early proof of concept. A new report now claims the studio abandoned the remake after concluding the game would require far more than a visual overhaul.

This claim comes from dataminer and YouTuber Michael Kemp on the Sacred Symbols podcast. As per the report, the developer was working on a remake of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune around 2018 or 2019, but eventually decided to pursue The Last of Us Part I instead.

Kemp claimed the project involved Sony's Visual Arts Support Group. This team reportedly created a small proof of concept to demonstrate how the 2007 PlayStation classic could look on modern hardware.

"I don't know if they got approved or not, but then they realised, okay, Uncharted 1 needs a bit more modernisation in terms of the levels and set-pieces. So they decided, 'No, we'll not do that, we'll do one that needs a little bit less modernising,' and that's how they ended up with The Last of Us [remake]," Kemp stated in the podcast.

He also said the prototype recreated the sequence where Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher parachute after Sully's plane is shot down, and that scene was made using visuals comparable to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

The remake, however, allegedly never progressed beyond that stage. Kemp said Naughty Dog concluded that Uncharted: Drake's Fortune would require far more than upgraded visuals, as its levels and set pieces needed significant modernization to meet current gameplay standards.

As a result, the studio reportedly opted to remake The Last of Us, which he described as requiring less extensive redesign work.

The latest claim also aligns with earlier reporting from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier. He reported in 2021 that Sony's Visual Arts team had initially pursued an Uncharted remake.

The idea later fizzled out due to the amount of additional design work required. Schreier also noted that remaking The Last of Us represented a less expensive and less demanding alternative.

While the original proposal was ultimately shelved, recent comments suggest the idea may not be completely off the table.

Could Naughty Dog still revisit an Uncharted remake?

Despite the latest reports, there is no indication that Naughty Dog has revived work on an Uncharted: Drake's Fortune remake. Michael Kemp said he does not know whether the studio ever returned to the project after shelving the reported prototype.

In the same podcast, he also added that he "could see them trying to do it again" in the future. Earlier Bloomberg reporting similarly suggested the original remake proposal was abandoned because of its development scope rather than a lack of interest in the franchise.

For now, Naughty Dog has not commented on the rumors and remains focused on its next announced title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

Until Sony or the studio makes an official announcement, the future of an Uncharted remake remains purely speculative.

Would you like to see Naughty Dog remake Uncharted: Drake's Fortune? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by

Nilendu Brahma

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav