Uncharted 4: A Thief's End PS4 PlayStation 4 Delays

Wow, this is big. Originally expected later this year, Naughty Dog has announced that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will deploy in Spring 2016, meaning that the next chapter in Nathan Drake's escapade is still over a year away. The game was being billed as Sony's big exclusive for 2015, but will likely leave some people pondering what's going on internally – especially seeing as the system's arguably yet to receive its first must-own, first-party game.

"Since we showed you our first gameplay reveal of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, more of the game and story have come together, and it's become clear to us that this game is much more ambitious than we originally envisioned," an apologetic Neil Druckmann wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "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 that we don't take lightly – this game deserves every bit of the attention to detail, precise pacing, and nuanced storytelling that Naughty Dog is known for. So we've made the difficult choice of pushing the game's release date."

The message – which is co-signed by game director Bruce Straley – adds that the "few extra months will make certain that [the game] not only meets the team's high standards, but the high standards that gamers have come to expect from a Naughty Dog title". It concluded that it will be "keeping its heads down" through the year, making sure that Nathan Drake's story gets the closure that it deserves. "You and Nate are in for one thrilling, emotional ride," Druckmann said.

This is big, big news, as Uncharted 4: A Thief's End was supposed to be the crowning jewel in a stellar lineup of PS4 exclusives this year. Sony's yet to say a whole lot about the second-half of 2015, so it's possible that it could have other unannounced projects in the pipeline – but only Gran Turismo would carry the same commercial clout as a Naughty Dog game, and the next entry in that series doesn't seem ready for primetime yet. Of course, it's worth remembering that The Last of Us was also delayed by a few months in 2013, and it was ultimately one of the greatest games ever made. We've no doubt that the delay will end up being for the best, then – but this is still gutting news.

[source blog.us.playstation.com]