Uncharted 4: A Thief's End has sold 8.7 million copies globally since it launched less than a year ago. That is a staggering figure when you consider that the game is barely six months old, and will continue to post strong sales through the remainder of the generation. But it does pose a very important question: can Sony really afford to let Nate hang up his half-tuck?

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Naughty Dog's iconic adventure series is that it's got bigger and bigger with each successive instalment. If you remove PlayStation Vita spin-off Uncharted: Golden Abyss from the equation – which itself was no slouch – then the sales numbers have increased with each entry. This is a franchise that's very much at its peak.

Surely ceasing development on a series that sells upwards of 10 million copies would be borderline irresponsible?

But Naughty Dog has suggested that it's done with the series – and certainly main character Nathan Drake. While upcoming spin-off Uncharted: The Lost Legacy does flag a discrepancy in that indication, it's worth remembering that Chloe Fraser's side story was originally intended as DLC; in fact, these strong sales numbers are probably part of the incentive behind it being blown out as a standalone story.

So will Sony really let the series rest? Naughty Dog's obviously going to be busy with The Last of Us: Part II moving forwards – which will also be a stupidly strong seller – but there may be an option to expand the size of the studio and set up a separate team to continue work on the series. Or it could hand the keys of the property to a different developer.

The latter would be a risky move, because there are few teams on the planet who can match Naughty Dog's attention to detail. But surely ceasing development on a series that sells upwards of 10 million copies would be borderline irresponsible? It's a tricky situation for Sony, and we're fascinated to see what it does next.

Do you think Sony can afford to let Drake retire? Do you think there'll be more Uncharted games in the future, and who do you reckon will develop them? Search for buried treasure in the comments section below.

Will Sony really let Uncharted rest? (78 votes)

  1. Yes, it'll be retired for some time after The Lost Legacy33%
  2. Erm, I'm not really sure18%
  3. No, it will find a way to continue the popular franchise49%

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[source bit.ly]