Around the same time news broke that Sony had decided not to greenlight a sequel toDays Gone, it was also reported thatdeveloper Sony Bend Studiohad instead been tasked on a brand-newUnchartedgame. 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 theUnchartedproject, there was a time when the studio was playing with the idea of making its ownUnchartedgame. More specifically,Days Gone’s director Jeff Ross had conceptualized one in the wake ofDays Gone 2not being approved.
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Speaking on the Sacred Symbols+ podcast (as transcribed by VGC), Ross discussed hisUnchartedplans, 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 evokedJames Bondstar Sean Connery, with the 70s setting influenced by movies likeOnce Upon a Time In HollywoodandJoker, 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 theUnchartedgames 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 anopen-worldResistancegame, but Sony wasn’t interested. Apparently, someone suggested to him that Bend do something withSyphon 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, hisUnchartedprequel will likely never come to be. Even though the series appeared to come to an end withUncharted 4, there remains hope that Naughty Dog will return to it with anUncharted 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.
