Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Delayed Until Spring 2016
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has been delayed until Spring of 2016 according to Naughty Dog directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann. Speaking on the official PlayStation blog, the two developers explained that the delay is down to the title growing in ambition from what they had initially planned. Rather than limit the title or cut content the studio has taken the decision to instead push back the release date in order to ensure the quality of the game does not suffer.
The latest entry in the Uncharted series sees the players once again taking control of Nathan Drake and will continue the gameplay typical of the action-adventure titles that have preceded it. The original launch for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End had been 2015, meaning that the developers will now have at least an additional several months to complete the game.
The title is the first in the series to not be led by Amy Hennig. The veteran director, who was responsible for the creation of both the Uncharted and Jak and Daxter franchises, left Naughty Dog in 2014 to join Visceral Games. At the same time, Justin Richmond left the development team to join Riot Games. He had previously worked as a director on Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Straley and Druckmann took over their duties following the work they had done on the highly successful The Last of Us.
The full statement released by Straley and Druckmann can be seen below:
Since we showed you our first gameplay reveal of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, more of the game and story have come together, and it’s become clear to us that this game is much more ambitious than we originally envisioned.
After spending so many years with Nathan Drake, he means a lot to the team, and telling the climactic chapter of his adventures is a task we don’t take lightly – this game deserves every bit of the attention to detail, precise pacing, and nuanced storytelling Naughty Dog is known for.
So we’ve made the difficult choice of pushing the game’s release date. Giving us a few extra months will make certain that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End not only meets the team’s high standards but the high standards that gamers have come to expect from a Naughty Dog title.
Thank you for your patience – we know the extra wait will be excruciating, but you’ll see it will be worth it as we reveal more about Uncharted 4 over the next year. The team at Naughty Dog will be heads down working through 2015 making sure that Nathan Drake’s story gets the closure it deserves. Come Spring 2016, you and Nate are in for one thrilling, emotional ride.