The PS3 period of games saw Sony establish the Uncharted series as one of their tentpole franchises. It ushered in a new era, as the series has gone on to sell millions of copies and grew a die-hard fan base that continues to play the games and anticipate the forthcoming movie adaptation in 2022 with Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.
While the games are straightforward action-adventure titles, it executes all their mechanics exceptionally well, with plenty of interesting pieces of information about the world and what went into the productions of these games. At the time, Uncharted was a bold new endeavor for Naughty Dog studios, making it fascinating for fans to see what inspired such a blockbuster IP.
Third-Person Shooter Mechanics Inspired By Gears Of War
Though Uncharted proved to persevere more in popularity, the series was originally impacted by another well-received franchise in the form of Gears of War. Xbox's exclusive IP was one of the best post-apocalyptic games and stories in the medium for quite some time and revolutionized the third-person shooter genre.
During the tail end of the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune development cycle, Naughty Dog felt compelled to change its mechanical approach by Gears of War's impact on that style of gameplay. A former ND developer told Ars Technica that they had to change the gunplay, camera placement, and overall player movement just six months before launch.
Uncharted 4 Didn't Originally Have Gameplay-Focused Flashbacks
Nathan Drake's grand adventures came to a graceful close in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. It was also one of the most emotional video games from the last generation of gaming, with one of the touching elements coming from Nate's origin as an orphan.
This worked well from both gameplay and narrative perspectives, as his and his brother Samuel Drake's childhoods were weaved in as playable flashback sequences. However, according to game director Neil Druckmann in a Rolling Stone interview, the origin part of the game's story was initially an extended, unplayable cutscene at the start of Uncharted 4. Thankfully, this didn't happen as players were able to fully immerse themselves by taking control of young Nathan and interacting with his brother, which is a key relationship in the series.
Nathan Drake Was Initially Influenced By Johnny Knoxville
While Uncharted's protagonist has clear inspirations elsewhere, Nate initially had a much more jarring influence before the initial game's release. Naughty Dog writer Josh Scherr talked about how the original game's pitch drew on Johnny Knoxville to influence their lead character.
Early renderings and animations for Nate showed him to be much more animated and comedically expressive. They had his body animate in combat in a comically fluid way as if mimicking Knoxville's stunts on the Jackass series. It wasn't until actor Nolan North came in that they found the inspiration to veer away from that approach.
Nate Subsequently Took Cues From Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones
For fans of the series, what Nathan Drake and the Uncharted series as a whole turned out to take influence from wasn't difficult to see. While the initial pitch went for a goofier overall atmosphere, the franchise adopted the grandiose, swashbuckling tones of Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. Co-writer Scherr also mentioned his love for Raiders of the Lost Ark and how it took such a romanticized approach to the action-adventure genre.
Nate is still unique enough to stand on his own feet respectably, but fans are likely thankful for the final direction taken. Using Indy's charismatic character traits proved a great foundation for Uncharted to start and finish on a satisfyingly happy ending for a video game.
Uncharted Was Originally A Scrappier Brawler/Shooter
Before Naughty Dog altered the original game's trajectory after seeing Gears of War's impact, Uncharted was set to have much scrappier gameplay mechanics when it came to combat. Druckmann mentioned in the same interview that it was more of a beat-em-up or "brawler" along with aimless shooting mechanics.
Once the developers incorporated aiming in cover-shooting sections, they realized how much more engaging combat became once that degree of agency and challenges were introduced. The change in combat and the addition of other side content in Uncharted gave players plenty to put time into as a result.
Chloe Frazer's Actress Was Originally Set To Play Elena Fisher
Introduced in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Chloe Frazer quickly became a fan-favorite character throughout the franchise. So much so that both she and anti-hero Nadine Ross -- from Uncharted 4 -- got leading roles in The Lost Legacy, a spinoff game that was released to muted acclaim in 2017 following the massive success of Uncharted 4.
However, actress Claudia Black was originally in the running for Nate's eventual wife, Elena Fisher, before landing on Chloe. Former head writer and creative director Amy Hennig revealed at a Comic-Con panel around a decade ago that Elena Fisher was initially Elena Vargas before establishing her and Black's eventual role as two characters.
Claudia Black Also Starred in Stargate SG-1
Aside from her iconic role as Chloe Frazer, Claudia Black has also been known for other live-action roles. One of which was in the cult-classic mid-1990s sci-fi TV series Stargate SG-1 as Vala Mal Doran.
It was a military-themed sci-fi series that took place after the original movie in the franchise. The show centered around the aftermath of the U.S. government learning they can use the titular Stargates to travel to multiple different planets. It was throughout the 2000s and 2010s where her voice-acting work in the gaming industry became more prominent.
Nadine Ross' Actress Is A Game Industry Veteran
Though voice-acting doesn't get the recognition that it deserves, fans of the Uncharted series, and the gaming industry as a whole, will recognize the name of Nadine Ross' voice actress. Laura Bailey is in the same arena of fame that the likes of Nolan North, Troy Baker, Jennifer Hale, and more occupy for their memorable performances across so many franchises.
On top of Nadine, Bailey has lent her voice to Rise Kujikawa for Persona 4 Golden, Kait Diaz for Gears 5, Catwoman for Telltale's Batman series, and Abby for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us: Part II. Bailey has long since cemented herself as an industry veteran and icon with tremendous range.
Uncharted 2's Train Sequence Was The Most Grueling To Develop
The whole series of games has been praised as being varying degrees of highs, but a consensus among many fans is that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the franchise's magnum opus. Naughty Dog's sophomore effort with the IP was arguably the pinnacle of their ability to truly encapsulate the summer Hollywood blockbuster atmosphere, as it had some of the series' best action set pieces.
The opening train escape sequence is regarded as one of the best in video games in general, and it was also one of the most grueling for the developers to create. Co-Lead Designer of the game, Richard Lemarchand, told Escapist Magazine that making a fully-traversable set-piece caused the most stress with the countless bugs it created for it all to work by launch date.
Jak & Daxter Reference In Drake's Fortune
For Naughty Dog, embarking on their work with the Uncharted games was a massive endeavor. The studio was known for making some great PlayStation classics before this, but Uncharted was their first time handling such a large-scale project of a different genre.
They were predominantly known for developing the Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter action-platformer games, and they never forgot their roots. In Drake's Fortune, players can find a clear reference to the latter series in the first chapter. Nate is outfitted with a wetsuit under the "Ottsel" brand, which fans of the developers will recognize as the fictional species of animal that Daxter is.