Former Uncharted designer favours Nathan Drake prequel over remake
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Former Uncharted designer Richard Lemarchand has argued that a remake of the original game could appear to be a “cash grab”, and said Naughty Dog would be better placed making a new prequel instead. His view matters because it highlights continuing demand for the series while raising the question of whether revisiting an existing story would offer enough creative value.
Lemarchand suggested a prequel could explore Nathan Drake’s earlier life and provide a fresh starting point for the franchise without retelling an adventure players already know. Naughty Dog has announced neither an Uncharted remake nor a prequel, meaning the idea is a former developer’s proposal rather than a confirmed project.
- Former designer opposes an Uncharted remake.
- He favours a Nathan Drake prequel.
- Naughty Dog has announced no new Uncharted game.
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Uncharted is a long-running action-adventure video game series made by the US studio Naughty Dog. It follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake as he travels the world looking for lost cities and historical artefacts, with stories inspired by adventure films.
The first game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, was released for PlayStation 3 in 2007 and introduced Drake and several recurring characters. Later games expanded the series and helped make it one of PlayStation’s best-known franchises.
A remake would rebuild an existing game for newer hardware, while a prequel would tell an earlier, new story about Drake. Naughty Dog has not confirmed plans for either approach, but the series continues to draw interest from players and former members of its development team.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A remake of the original Uncharted could bring a classic story to modern audiences with contemporary graphics, streamlined mechanics and improved controls, allowing new players to experience a beloved narrative without the technical limitations of the original. Remakes are established practice across the industry and have proven commercially and critically successful; arguing they are inherently cash grabs dismisses the legitimate value of technical modernisation and accessibility in preserving classic works.
The case against
A prequel would generate genuinely new creative content rather than retelling an adventure already familiar to players, allowing Naughty Dog to invest resources into fresh storytelling that expands rather than revisits the franchise. Beyond aesthetic concerns about recycling existing narratives, there is a substantive artistic argument: channelling creative ambition into original extensions of a universe represents a better use of talent and resources than modernising an already-complete story.
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Originally published by GamesRadar+ as “An Uncharted remake would feel “like a cash grab,” says OG designer who thinks Naughty Dog should make a new prequel instead”.