One photo. One word. Thousands of fans convinced a new Uncharted game is coming.
Shaun Escayg, creative director at Naughty Dog, posted a picture of a historic cannon at Fort George in Trinidad and Tobago this week. The caption? Simply: "Research." That single word has sent the Uncharted community into a full spiral, with fans pointing at the palm trees, the colonial fortifications, and the general aesthetic and saying: that looks like an Uncharted level.
They're not wrong that it fits. The fan reaction has been intense, with comments ranging from "It has to be" to "Palms and cannons = Uncharted, it works 99% of the time." One fan noted, "This means it's super early," apparently taking the trip itself as confirmation that a project exists.
What Escayg's history with the series actually tells us
Here's the thing: Escayg isn't a random Naughty Dog employee who happened to book a Caribbean vacation. He co-directed Uncharted: The Lost Legacy in 2017, the last mainline entry in the series. His creative fingerprints are all over the franchise. If anyone at the studio would be doing location scouting for a new Uncharted game, Escayg is exactly the person you'd expect to be doing it.
The series has been dormant since The Lost Legacy. The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection arrived on PS5 and PC in 2022, but that was a remaster package, not a new story. For fans who finished Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and want to know what happens next for Nathan Drake's family, or whether the series pivots to a new protagonist entirely, the wait has been a long one.
Naughty Dog's confirmed plate and the mysterious second game
Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog's president, confirmed earlier this year that the studio is working on a second, unannounced game alongside Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Speaking on the Press X to Continue podcast, Druckmann described his own role on this mystery project as more of a producer, mentoring a separate team rather than directing it himself.
"There's another game that's being worked on at Naughty Dog where I am more of a producer role," Druckmann said. "I get to mentor and watch this other team and give feedback."
He did not name the project or its director. That gap is exactly where fan speculation rushes in.
Druckmann also stepped away from HBO's The Last of Us Season 3 last July to focus entirely on game development, which suggests the studio's attention is heavily concentrated on what's coming next. That same week, a separate tease from Druckmann had fans speculating about The Last of Us Part 3, meaning Naughty Dog is generating speculation on two fronts simultaneously.
Naughty Dog's next project unknown
The questions a new Uncharted would need to answer
Assuming a new Uncharted game is in development, the creative decisions ahead are significant. Uncharted 4 wrapped up Nathan Drake's story with genuine finality. Bringing him back requires a compelling reason, not just nostalgia. The more interesting directions the series could take include:
- Cassie Drake, Nathan and Elena's daughter, who appeared in Uncharted 4's epilogue as a teenager with an obvious sense of adventure
- Sam Drake and Victor Sullivan in a standalone adventure, leaning into the buddy dynamic from Uncharted 4
- A full reboot with a new protagonist, similar to how The Lost Legacy handed the lead role to Chloe Frazer
- A prequel set in a younger Drake's early treasure-hunting days
None of these are confirmed. But the Trinidad setting, with its colonial forts and Caribbean geography, fits the Uncharted formula almost too well to be coincidental.
For the latest Uncharted news as it develops, keep an eye on Push Square's Uncharted coverage for any official updates from Sony or Naughty Dog. If Druckmann's mystery second project turns out to be Uncharted 5, the earliest fans should realistically expect any announcement is likely still a year or more away, given where AAA development timelines sit right now. Make sure to check out more on our website here.
