'Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End' Delayed Till Spring 2016, and That's Okay!

Gamers woke up to a bit of what appears to be unfortunate news that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End would be missing its fall 2015 release date. The highly anticipated saga of Nathan Drake had been teased and shown off again as recently in December at the PlayStation Experience event in Las Vegas where a long in-game sequence with luscious graphics and smooth gameplay was shown off. Since that time, it appears that game directors Bruce Straley & Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us) didn’t feel like they’ve made enough progress for their vision to have it ready by fall.

For Sony, this can prove a bit problematic as Uncharted 4 would surely have been a system seller and their fall now remains without a AAA exclusive. For gamers, this means that a game they’ve been lusting for won’t make it to their hands for likely an additional 6 months – but you know what? It will be okay. Meet me after the jump for some common sense talk and a word or two from Bruce and Neil.

First, the official word:

After spending so many years with Nathan Drake, he means a lot to the team, and telling the climactic chapter of his adventures is a task we don’t take lightly — this game deserves every bit of the attention to detail, precise pacing, and nuanced storytelling Naughty Dog is known for. So we’ve made the difficult choice of pushing the game’s release date. Giving us a few extra months will make certain that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End not only meets the team’s high standards, but the high standards that gamers have come to expect from a Naughty Dog title.

Thank you for your patience — we know the extra wait will be excruciating, but you’ll see it will be worth it as we reveal more about Uncharted 4 over the next year. The team at Naughty Dog will be heads down working through 2015 making sure that Nathan Drake’s story gets the closure it deserves. Come Spring 2016, you and Nate are in for one thrilling, emotional ride.

As I mentioned above, the most problematic part of this will be for Sony and their fall release schedule which is a highly important time of the year for them. Without a AAA title, Sony won’t have something to show that’s purely on PlayStation 4. Still, in the long term, it’s also ok for them as console wars and their eventual success or failure isn’t based on a single quarter or year. So while it sucks that we’ll have to wait longer to get our hands on the beloved Naughty Dog series, it’s actually a win for gamers and Sony.

You see, once a game is out and it’s problematic, it will forever be known as that. Look no further than DriveClub which had some major issues at launch. Two months and what seemed like 100 patches later, the game was up and running at its true potential and what a game. DriveClub is a racing game that’s not only beautiful, but fun and highly robust. However, due to poor initial word of mouth, it’s likely that most gamers simply skipped it. Something that not only hurt the studio behind it, but Sony (since it was a PS4 exclusive), and gamers who were initially frustrated by the games shortcomings.

Delay a game, however and get it right and nobody will remember the games original targeted release date. Instead, they will remember the game for what it was. And for Sony? They’ll get the system seller they wanted, just a few months later but at least they’ll have another showcase-worthy title. So while a delay is always initially unwelcome, in the end, it’s better for gamers, publishers, and the platform. So as far as I’m concerned, I hope Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley and the entire staff at Naughty Dog take all the time they need till they feel like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is up to their standards and only then release the game.