Naughty Dog has been phenomenally instrumental in the success of PlayStation exclusives for more than a decade, and in that time it has developed two mascot franchises that have arguably helped to uphold the console on its releases alone. These two franchises are none other than Uncharted and The Last of Us—and they could not be any more different from a tonal or gameplay perspective. But while one continues to prosper, the other has seemingly ended its run in games while it only now begins to branch out into movie adaptations.
The Last of Us likely has a Part 3 in the bank if the franchise is as profitable as it seems, though The Last of Us Part 3 might not be Naughty Dog’s next big single-player game. Still, The Last of Us will be receiving a standalone multiplayer spin-off that could help tide the IP over while Naughty Dog finally gives attention to new IPs or several other opportunities it might have now. Uncharted is certainly a franchise that fans would love to see continue, and because it is no stranger to multiplayer elements it would be interesting to see how a standalone multiplayer spin-off for Uncharted would work.
The Last of Us’ Multiplayer Game Could Inspire One for Uncharted
The Last of Us’ world-building and general narrative supports the idea that humans band together in groups in order to defend themselves against raiders—vice versa, desperate raiders may resort to killing and robbing other survivors. This would establish a simple enough gameplay loop in The Last of Us’ multiplayer game, where players could encounter other players and be unsure of whether they are trustworthy or not, let alone competing for the sparse resources in a previously plundered area.
Uncharted has no premise as simple as this, resulting in the franchise’s previous multiplayer outings having classic competitive and cooperative game modes such as King of the Hill and Team Deathmatch instead of a narrative throughline. Uncharted’s multiplayer modes have also always embraced Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan, and many other important characters from throughout the franchise as its playable avatars, which completely disrupts the immersion that a multiplayer mode such as The Last of Us’ Factions has.
Still, a co-op treasure-hunting adventure with other players could be precisely what is needed to bring the franchise back similarly to what Naughty Dog is attempting with The Last of Us, and with an equally impressive narrative, it could likely be much more satisfying. This could introduce a co-op romp like Uncharted: The Lost Legacy with purely co-op play or the option for it to be a single-player title with an AI companion. Otherwise, the same multiplayer shenanigans from Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3, or Uncharted 4 could return in a big way with its own dedicated spin-off.
Uncharted’s Ambiguous Future Makes a Multiplayer Game Questionable
However, while Uncharted is still certainly one of PlayStation’s most popular franchises, it could be harder for Naughty Dog to bank its continuation on a seemingly random multiplayer game. Uncharted works well as a linear, narrative-driven adventure game, and without that formula at its core, it might not have as much to distinguish it as The Last of Us does.
Moreover, because the Uncharted franchise has seemingly ceased in terms of its games, it would be odd for it to suddenly be exhumed for a standalone multiplayer spin-off. The Last of Us picked an ideal time to unveil and develop its own since the IP is at the height of success and popularity with the HBO show still fresh in fans’ minds.
Rather, Uncharted’s movie adaptation was not received to nearly the same degree, and Naughty Dog’s most recent release of the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is already far back in the rearview for a lot of players. If a multiplayer spin-off was ever announced, it would likely insinuate that fans should expect more from the franchise in development as well.
A The Last of Us multiplayer game is currently in development.