On May 10, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End celebrated its 10th anniversary. The game launched for the PlayStation 4 after a troubled development cycle, something many have known about, but not the actual extent of it.
Not only did the fourth entry in the Uncharted series see the departure of many of its original cast, including Todd Stashwick, Graham McTavish, and Alan Tudyk, but also the creative director on the original trilogy: Amy Hennig. She left in 2014 after the game failed to come together, and with her departure, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley were brought on to cobble together a game that could be published.
In a new documentary from YouTuber TheKempy, he dives into the history of the maligned original vision for Uncharted 4, and it’s an absolute must-watch for fans of the series. Despite what was publicly known beforehand, the video really does a great job at peeling back layers of the situation. It provides behind-the-scenes clips of cut scenes, motion capture, and more, featuring the Uncharted cast.
What stands out is just how much the game changed between directors. Sam was recast with Troy Baker; Rafe was recast and rewritten; Graham McTavish’s Charlie was removed entirely; and Laura Bailey’s Nadine Ross was created to stand in for Sam’s former role as a secondary antagonist.
The video also reveals there would’ve been a playable section where you play as Henry Avery and pilot his ship, and even engage in naval battle. The pirate ship was also designed to be part of the gameplay, and tech was created to show the damage the ship took after a battle at sea.
Uncharted 4‘s original pitch also had a lot more of Elena involved throughout. We see scenes of Nolan North and Emily Rose interacting with several characters at a party; we also see them on a boat and in a vehicle at first.
Eventually, as Druckman came aboard, many elements were cut or reworked to fit the story, introducing Sam and having him work with his brother, Nate, against Rafe and Nadine.
It’s been some time since the last Uncharted game, and despite Naughty Dog insisting Nate Drake was done treasure hunting, it doesn’t mean another character can’t step up as the lead. For now, fans of the studio have Interagalactic: The Heretic Prophet to look forward to.
