Speculation Grows as Naughty Dog’s Creative Director Hints at Uncharted 5

It’s hard to believe, but nearly a decade has passed since the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and almost nine years since Uncharted: The Lost Legacy graced our consoles. Despite the fact that Uncharted 4 wrapped up the main storyline quite definitively, fans have been eagerly hoping for Naughty Dog to revisit the franchise. It looks like one of the studio’s creative directors might be hinting at just that.

Recently, an Instagram post from Shaun Escayg, who directed Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and was the creative director for The Last of Us: Part I, has been making waves online. The post is quite cryptic, featuring just a cannon and a message from Escayg that reads “Research…”

It’s easy to see why this post sparked connections to Uncharted. The imagery evokes memories of the Panama segments from Uncharted 4, and interestingly, it turns out that Escayg’s photo was taken at Fort George in Trinidad and Tobago.

But the excitement isn’t just based on vibes. Naughty Dog has repeatedly confirmed they’re working on at least one other game alongside Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Studio head Neil Druckmann made this clear last year, and Vinit Agarwal, who was involved in the now-cancelled project The Last of Us Online, mentioned that the studio was developing two single-player games before his departure in 2024.

It’s also worth noting that Druckmann has teased The Last of Us Part 3 multiple times over the past year, so there’s a possibility that Escayg’s “research” could be linked to that project. However, it’s hard to imagine Ellie making a trip to Trinidad and Tobago, so let’s hope this means Naughty Dog is working on both projects at the same time.