Opinion: If Sony's Doubling Down on Its Most Popular Franchises, Where's Uncharted? 1

It isn't a new observation to declare we're very much in the age of IP, revisiting the same popular franchises over and over again.

There's a good reason it's happening — games (or any media) following this tactic sell, and fresh, new ideas are risky business when budgets are now many hundreds of millions of dollars. PlayStation is at the epicentre of this push.

A studio like Naughty Dog is afforded the luxury of making something different (the incoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet) because of its past successes, but several teams within PS Studios are sticking to what they know works.

Opinion: If Sony's Doubling Down on Its Most Popular Franchises, Where's Uncharted? 2

Guerrilla Games struck gold with Horizon Zero Dawn, and the series has sold in excess of 40 million units across its various games. The studio is firmly entrenched in Aloy's robo-dino world; its next game is multiplayer spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering, and it'll almost certainly follow that up with Horizon 3.

As mentioned, Naughty Dog is shifting over to a new IP for its next title, but we can't ignore The Last of Us, which has also surpassed 40 million units. Two main games, a DLC chapter, two remasters, a remake, and many years spent on a cancelled live service multiplayer offshoot — Sony went all-in.

Santa Monica Studio has been in the God of War mines for even longer, and while it has experimented with other projects in the past, it's very unlikely to move on from its mythological epic. The entire franchise has sold over 76 million units to date.

Opinion: If Sony's Doubling Down on Its Most Popular Franchises, Where's Uncharted? 3

The Norse games revived the series and made it significantly more popular than it already was. As a result, we've recently had a prequel spin-off with God of War: Sons of Sparta, the announcement of God of War Trilogy Remake, and strong rumours about a new title in the Norse mythos featuring Faye as the player character.

MLB The Show is consistent enough that San Diego Studio has made nothing else for years, and Polyphony Digital, which makes Sony's best-selling series Gran Turismo, is also unlikely to change gears at this stage.

I feel like Marvel's Spider-Man is almost not worth mentioning, as it's so obvious an example, but yes, expect Insomniac Games to be making Marvel superhero adventures for a long time.

Opinion: If Sony's Doubling Down on Its Most Popular Franchises, Where's Uncharted? 4

Many of the franchises I've mentioned are being converted into big, expensive films or TV shows, if they haven't already, all in aid of making them as big as humanly possible.

It's very clear to me that, save a few precious exceptions, PlayStation is heavily leaning into its most popular series and will continue to do so.

My question is, if this is the reality we find ourselves in, how come Uncharted isn't part of the equation?

It did get the movie treatment — in fact, it was the first project handled by PlayStation Productions, and a sequel is in the works. But it seems to me that the likes of God of War and Horizon are doubling down with new games, while Uncharted is left on the back burner.

Opinion: If Sony's Doubling Down on Its Most Popular Franchises, Where's Uncharted? 5

Preceding The Last of Us, the globe-trotting escapades of Nathan Drake quickly became a jewel in PlayStation's crown. It too has sold exceedingly well at over 41 million units across four mainline titles, a handful of side stories, and remaster collections.

It felt like Uncharted would become a staple of Sony's first-party lineup, and it did, for a while. Across PS3 and PS4, Drake was the poster child for PS Studios, but aside from a remaster of the most recent games, the adventures haven't continued on PS5.

That's despite glowing reviews, big sales, and a burgeoning movie series. Yes, the first film wasn't the greatest, but it made money, and that's ultimately Sony's aim.

It just seems to me that Uncharted still has a lot left to give in the games department. Spoilers for the 10-year-old Uncharted 4: A Thief's End follow.

Opinion: If Sony's Doubling Down on Its Most Popular Franchises, Where's Uncharted? 6

Just a couple of ideas for Sony and PS Studios here: Nate and Elena's daughter, Cassie, could easily become the new face of the series, perhaps with her old man begrudgingly in tow.

What about a game following Victor "Goddamn" Sullivan in his earlier years as a treasure hunter? At Push Square Towers, we've long said an Uncharted game set in, say, the 1970s could be fantastic.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy puts the spotlight on Chloe Fraser, and she could definitely front another adventure. In fact, she proved that Uncharted doesn't need Nathan Drake to succeed.

The series introduced such a rich world with so many fun characters, and it feels ripe for the picking, but Sony has seemingly left it out of its current strategy to grow its biggest series. It just seems like a missed opportunity to me.

There's a possibility that Naughty Dog is maybe reluctant to let go of the series it created, and let other teams take on new projects. That being said, it's Sony's IP, so I'm not sure how much weight that sentiment would carry.

But anyway, what do I know? Maybe Uncharted isn't done, after all, and it'll bounce back in spectacular fashion, and then this article will feel silly. I'd certainly like that to come true.

Do you think Uncharted deserves the same attention as God of War and Horizon? Discuss in the comments section below.