Around the same time news broke that Sony had decided not to greenlight a sequel to Days Gone, it was also reported that developer Sony Bend Studio had instead been tasked on a brand-new Uncharted game. However, the project never panned out and was ultimately canceled, with Bend Studio moving on to something else entirely.
While developers at Bend Studio had asked to be taken off the Uncharted project, there was a time when the studio was playing with the idea of making its own Uncharted game. More specifically, Days Gone’s director Jeff Ross had conceptualized one in the wake of Days Gone 2 not being approved.
Speaking on the Sacred Symbols+ podcast (as transcribed by VGC), Ross discussed his Uncharted plans, revealing that his game would have been a prequel that focused on a much younger Victor Sullivan. Better known as Sully, he serves as a mentor/father figure to protagonist Nathan Drake and regularly assists him in his adventures throughout the series.
Sully’s solo adventure would have been set in the 1970s, with him in his mid-20s. Ross theorizes that he would have busted out of the Navy and be finding himself as a hustler working on the streets. He also would have evoked James Bond star Sean Connery, with the 70s setting influenced by movies like Once Upon a Time In Hollywood and Joker, although Ross wouldn’t have leaned into the cheesier parts of that decade.
Ross admits that his concept didn’t lend itself to many opportunities for shoot-outs. Gunplay has been a key aspect of the Uncharted games since the first one and Ross didn’t want to be the one to make the first game in the series where players didn’t shoot anyone.
This wasn’t the only PlayStation IP Ross played ideas with. Previously, he mentioned that he also pitched an open-world Resistance game, but Sony wasn’t interested. Apparently, someone suggested to him that Bend do something with Syphon Filter, but Ross rejected it due to a lack of ideas and interest in the IP.
Considering Ross is no longer with Bend or Sony, his Uncharted prequel will likely never come to be. Even though the series appeared to come to an end with Uncharted 4, there remains hope that Naughty Dog will return to it with an Uncharted 5. The studio has teased a possible return but nothing concrete has been announced so far. In the meantime, fans will have to make do with the live-action movie starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg as Nathan and Sully respectively.
Source: Sacred Symbols+, VGC