Uncharted 5 rumors pick up steam as Nolan North hints he’s down to reprise role

Uncharted 5 may not be Naughty Dog's current project but Nathan Drake's actor Nolan North appears to be on board with doing it if the opportunity ever comes his way.

Currently, all of Naughty Dog's attention is on The Last of Us Part II, but rumors about a possible Uncharted 5 are still swirling. Even though the series hasn't gotten a new game since 2017's Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Nathan Drake's story wrapped itself up in a nice bow with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, fans are still eager for it to continue and are exciting following a recent interview.

Nolan North and Troy Baker interviewed Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann at the end of the latest episode of their The Last of Us playthrough on their YouTube channel Retro Replay. While Baker's question was initially about how Naughty Dog crafts stories, Druckmann eventually touched on how Sony gives the studio the liberty to work on what they want. That's where Uncharted 5 enters the equation.

"We're lucky that we have the freedom that Sony gives us where we can choose," he explains. "We made Uncharted 4 and we haven't made another Uncharted since. Maybe one day we will. We'll see." North joked that "the internet just exploded" after Druckmann made that comment, but it has increased speculation within the Uncharted community.

The comments gained enough traction to the point where IGN tweeted a discussion question asking "Would you like to see a fifth Uncharted game from Naughty Dog, or would you rather see them create an entirely new franchise?" This led Nolan North to chime in on the whole situation with his own tweet wondering, "Do I get a vote?"

As such, North appears to be onboard for whenever another Uncharted game rolls around, especially if its from Naughty Dog. This isn't the first time North has shown enthusiasm for a possible Uncharted 5 either, saying in October 2019 that he's "ready to break out my climbing gear" if Nathan Drake were to return.

The Inverse Analysis

While another Uncharted game is almost inevitable, one has to wonder how long the wait until its release will be. All of Naughty Dog will be dedicated to finishing The Last of Us Part II in the coming months, especially after the game's recent delay. That being said, as the developers finish working on the project, they'll have to start coming up with what Naughty Dog will do next. Druckmann indicated that Sony will give Naughty Dog the liberty to do what it wants, so there's no clear option for their next title.

I'd rather see them tackle a new IP or finish up that multiplayer portion of The Last of Us Part II next, but Uncharted 5 feels like an inevitability. Despite rumors that a new San Diego studio is working on Uncharted 5, that probably isn't the case. Naughty Dog has historically kept their franchises close, with Sony Bend being the only other studio to touch the IP with Uncharted: Golden Abyss for PS Vita, so if Uncharted 5 ever happens, I'd expect it to come straight from Naughty Dog. The real mystery is how long we'll have to wait for it.

The Last of Us Part II will be released for PS4 on May 29, 2020.