Uncharted 4: New Insights Uncover Cut Content, Playable Characters, and More

May 10 marked the 10-year anniversary of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, a title that beautifully wraps up Nathan Drake’s journey, even as whispers of a potential fifth installment linger. The development of Uncharted 4 was anything but smooth, especially after creative director Amy Hennig departed Naughty Dog in 2014, leading to significant shifts in direction. While we’ve had glimpses of the original concept for Uncharted 4 over the years, YouTuber Thekempy has recently released a feature-length video that compiles a wealth of files, behind-the-scenes footage, and early development clips, offering an intriguing look at what could have been.

Thekempy’s video is a must-watch, showcasing highlights such as a chronological comparison of how the story evolved from its initial vision to the final version directed by Neil Druckmann in 2016. It reveals that characters like Victor “Sully” Sullivan and the 17th-century pirate Henry Avery were intended to be playable at various points, along with several minutes of motion capture footage featuring actors Alan Tudyk, Todd Stashwick, and Graham McTavish, who ultimately didn’t make it into the final cut.

The development of Uncharted 4 was fraught with challenges, and revisiting some of the early promotional materials reveals a notably different tone. For instance, the original announcement teaser featured Stashwick as the character who would evolve into Sam Drake, a role later portrayed by Troy Baker. While Thekempy’s video doesn’t cover every detail of Hennig’s original vision, it stands as the most thorough exploration of the game that never came to be.

Currently, Naughty Dog is focused on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, but there are also vague hints about a potential third installment in The Last of Us series. Whether the studio will revisit Nathan Drake in the future remains uncertain.