Though Skydance New Media's Marvel Project bears the cultural recognition of the Marvel name, its director Amy Hennig is bringing pedigree to the project thanks to her work on the critically acclaimed Uncharted series, and many fans wonder how this might influence the game. Hennig wields an extensive and influential gaming career dating back as early as 1989, and she has worked on some familiar classics like Jak 3 and several Legacy of Kain games. But she rose to prominence when she directed the original Uncharted trilogy of games and consulted on its PS Vita exclusive Uncharted Golden Abyss.
However, Hennig's departure from developer Naughty Dog partway through Uncharted 4: A Thief's End left her free to move onto other projects with other studios, such as Luminous Productions with its upcoming Forspoken and now Skydance with its new Marvel project. Putting aside the canceled Visceral Games Star Wars project, this will be Hennig's first title she will direct after leaving Naughty Dog, which has led fans to believe that her previous work could influence the still-unnamed Marvel game. Given Uncharted's relationship with historical real-world mysteries, which blends sci-fi and fantasy together, as well as the unusual setting of Skydance's project, Hennig's direction could make this the most distinctive Marvel game seen to date.
Embracing Everything That Made Uncharted Distinct
While at the time likened to a male Lara Croft, Uncharted clearly worked hard to differentiate itself so that Lara and Nathan Drake could co-exist as treasure hunters. Many standout elements came together ultimately to make the Uncharted series very popular, whether it was Drake's charisma and wit making him a likable character or the various jaw-dropping sequences that saw Drake climb out of a derailed train hanging off a cliff or be thrown out of a cargo plane mid-flight.
However, Uncharted was not solely about spectacle, as its stories provided not just complex character development, but also dove deep into real-world mysteries and alternative history. The games' stories see Drake searching for lost treasure or mythical locations, but ultimately these discoveries have a supernatural-inspired twist. Now a staple of Uncharted, examples include cursed relics and demon possession. However, Drake realizes that the mystery is less supernatural and more scientific, where curses are actually ancient mutagenic viruses or finds that demons were only caused by hallucinogens in the water.
Skydance's project will similarly be exploring a unique portion of Marvel history, as it is set within WW2 and will span various global settings from occupied France to the hidden, technologically advanced Wakanda. Already, the similarities between the project and Uncharted are shining through, with various real-world locations, alternative history, and fantastical sci-fi technology present. This could be the first indication to players that the upcoming Marvel project will be taking a decent amount of inspiration from Uncharted.
How Uncharted Can Manifest In Skydance's Marvel Project
While Skydance does need to limit itself to storylines that exist already within Marvel's comics, it's likely that the developer will at least consider taking some inspiration from them. This has led some to speculate on what sort of historical Marvel characters could feature in the project as well as how the story might develop across the game. Thanks to the game's setting being removed from the modern day, it's provided Skydance with enough breathing room to take some creative liberties, especially as it will be joining forces of Black Panther and Captain America who aren't the most obvious Marvel duo.
Since Hydra is expected to have some involvement in the game since the teaser trailer reveals both Hydra documents and its logo, it's probable that they will be the main antagonist, which only begs the question of what kind of threat they will pose since it is major enough to see Black Panther and Captain America join forces. One possibility is that Hydra will be attempting to invade and conquer Wakanda and its technology, which would then see Steve Rogers naturally siding with Wakanda to fight against his nemesis, but there are other alternative approaches Skydance and Hennig could take.
For instance, it would be interesting to see Hydra experimenting with Wakandan technology, using it to serve the Nazi cause. In connection to Uncharted, this experimentation could lead to the creation of a weapon similar to Uncharted's own relics, such as the virus from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune that the antagonists were planning to sell as a bioweapon. Additionally, combined with the advanced technology and range of settings Skydance would have at its disposal, it's possible that Hennig could introduce death-defying sequences just like Uncharted's cargo plane to force the likes of Captain America and Black Panther to fight for their survival.
Skydance New Media's Marvel Project is currently in development.