A new Uncharted is reportedly in development at Naughty Dog, with Nathan Drake involved in some form. The report comes from MP1st, which cites anonymous sources close to the project and says Shaun Escayg, director of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, is leading it. Sony and the studio have stayed silent, so for now it remains a rumour. Two days later, French site Gameblog spotted that one of the series’ long-standing art directors had returned to the studio. For fans who have been waiting for a sequel since A Thief’s End in 2016, these signs are encouraging, though they guarantee nothing.
At a glance
According to MP1st, a new Uncharted is in development at Naughty Dog, led by Shaun Escayg.
It would follow Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and come before The Last of Us Part III.
Sony and Naughty Dog have made no comment on the project so far.
What MP1st says about the next Uncharted
The report was published on 30 September by Alex Co at MP1st, a PlayStation-focused site that regularly runs stories from anonymous sources about Sony’s studios. According to sources it describes as familiar with the situation, Naughty Dog is working on a new Uncharted. The site says it is an all-new game, and rules out the remake of the first instalment that had been floated in recent years.
Nathan Drake would be part of it, in a form MP1st cannot pin down. He could return as the lead, show up as a supporting character or make a brief cameo. A Thief’s End closed with an older Drake who had become a father, and the author floats the idea that his daughter might take over, while admitting he cannot confirm it.
On timing, this new Uncharted would be the next game Naughty Dog develops and releases after Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, with The Last of Us Part III to follow. Naughty Dog recently confirmed it is working on two new The Last of Us projects. MP1st itself warns that no announcement should be expected any time soon, and that a studio’s plans can change.
Shaun Escayg, a director who knows the series
The name attached to the project will be familiar to fans. Shaun Escayg directed Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the standalone expansion to A Thief’s End released in 2017, which handed the lead role to a character other than Nathan Drake for the first time, in this case Chloe. He was also creative director on Marvel’s Avengers at Crystal Dynamics, as MP1st points out.
According to CGMagazine, some fans had already read clues into Shaun Escayg’s recent social media posts from Trinidad, which IGN picked up on. Those photos are fan interpretation, and no official source links them to any project. What they do show is how much anticipation surrounds the series, ten years after its last main entry.
The studio’s schedule is worth keeping in mind as well. Neil Druckmann has already said there will be no new information on Intergalactic before 2027, CGMagazine notes. Between Intergalactic, two The Last of Us projects and possibly Nathan Drake’s return, Naughty Dog would have enough to keep its teams busy for years.
An Uncharted veteran back at Naughty Dog
A second clue surfaced on 2 October. Gameblog noticed on Tate Mosesian’s LinkedIn profile that he had rejoined Naughty Dog as an art director. He spent 17 years at the studio until 2019 and worked on the second, third and fourth games in the series, mostly in art direction. Before his return he held the same role at Survios.
One detail matters here: according to Gameblog, he actually came back in March 2025, and only the profile update is recent. On its own, it remains a weak signal, even if it lands just as the rumour is doing the rounds. Sony also tends to keep its long-term plans quiet, as shown by the Physint cancellation reported by Bloomberg.
Until there is an announcement, the series is available on PC through Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, which bundles A Thief’s End and The Lost Legacy. For now, Nathan Drake’s return rests on a single source and a handful of signs pointing the same way.
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