Back in 2016, developer Naughty Dog decided that it wasn’t quite done with Nathan Drake, and Uncharted 4 was assembled and debuted to widespread critical acclaim. Just like all the previous entries in the franchise, A Thief’s End was praised for its phenomenal production, values, imaginative settings, and epic action sequences.
Uncharted 4 was a massive success despite the fact that Naughty Dog lost its long-term series visionary and director, Amy Hennig. As it turns out, one approach by Neil Drunckmann in the game would’ve looked a lot different if Hennig had been involved in the development process.
Amy Hennig’s Ideas for Drake Nathan in Uncharted 4
While chatting with USGamer about the cancellation of her recent projects, Amy Hennig opened up about the way she should’ve approached Uncharted 4 if headed the development. Hennig initially stated that she was a little put off from playing the game because it felt strange to witness characters that she had crafted being handled by Neil Druckmann.
Many of the chapter beats, including the overall structure of the events in Uncharted 4 were established while she was still involved in the project. She contributed to major gameplay mechanics, such as the use of rope for swinging and climbing.
However, what didn’t make it to the final build of the game was Sam Drake’s interpretation by Hennig. She had a number of interesting insights into the character and explained how he would have looked if she was still creatively involved.
The major differences had to do with like, I was introducing the idea of Sam as the brother. But my take on it was sort of different, that it was a little bit more—I mean I wouldn’t call him the antagonist in the classic sense, but it was an antagonistic force in Drake’s life that he then had to reconcile. So it was, you know, complicated by stuff coming up from the past.
Hennig’s version of Nathan’s older brother Sam was a bit edgier than the one Druckmann delivered us in Uncharted 4. It seems like Hennig wanted Sam to serve as a bad guy in the game’s beginning, which will eventually lead to reconsolidation with Nathan by the end of the story.
Uncharted 4 was a great fitting end to Nathan Drake’s story if that is how it stands. Still, it’s quite fascinating to get a peek into what things might’ve looked like if brilliant minds like Hennighad still led the project for the entirety of its development.
Naughty Dog Will Eventually Return to Uncharted Series
The Uncharted franchise has been a crown jewel for PlayStation since then. During its peak, it played a major role in bringing gamers to PlayStation 3, helping the console after its disastrous launch. The franchise has been a major success for both Naughty Dog and PlayStation as it defined the company’s focus on single-player adventures while still making profits.
It’s a franchise that’s simply too difficult to walk away from from a purely business standpoint. A successful IP is worth more than diamonds in the modern gaming industry, which is something we all are aware of. As such, Uncharted 4‘s sequel could be a tricky project in many ways, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise.
It’s already clear that Nathan Drake won’t lead this sequel. Whether or not he passes the torch to someone else, Uncharted 5 would take the beloved franchise in a new direction. Since neither Sony nor Naughty Dog has announced the series will continue so far, the developer can wait a long time if it wants to bring the IP back.
We’re already hearing potential rumors for many remakes, so there’s still some demand for the series, which can be capitalized on with a new game.
With that said, what do you think about Hennig’s interpretation of Sam Drake in Uncharted 4? Let us know in the comments below.
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