'Uncharted 4' Director Teases Heartrending Scene Between Drake And His Brother Sam

Gamers play "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" developed by Naughty Dog on Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) during the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 in Los Angeles June 7, 2011. Reuters

With a release scheduled for late 2015 on the cards, the devs at Naughty Dog are working full tilt on “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.” Creative director of the project, Neil Druckmann, recently issued a tweet promising fans that the game’s story would deliver in a big way.

In the recent tweet, Druckmann referenced a newly recorded motion capture session between actors Nolan North, who plays Nathan Drake, and Troy Baker, who plays his long lost brother, Sam. Druckmann indicated that recording the highly emotional scene had gone very well and that he couldn’t wait for gamers to experience the story.

“Man... these actors. Captured a scene today with some serious feels. Can't wait for you guys to experience this story,” he said.

DualShockers also notes that Troy Baker shared a behind-the-scenes pic of both actors suited up in motion capture suits, issuing a Vulcan Salute in honour of the recently deceased Leonard Nimoy. Speaking to GamesRadar for a recent feature, Straley and Druckmann both stated that the character of Sam Drake was created to allow them an opportunity to delve into Nate’s past. Sam also allows Naughty Dog to treat “A Thief’s End” as a narrative clean break, giving them an opportunity to get new players on board more easily.

Events which closed “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” saw Nate settle down with long-time globe-trotting partner Elena and put his treasure-hunting days behind him. The reappearance of Sam, thought dead for 15 years, prompts Nate to return to his old ways. Together, the two are on the trail of a half-billion dollar treasure amassed by 17th century pirate Henry Every.

Naughty Dog says that Sam has managed to get himself into some serious trouble with the wrong people,the kind of people you don’t want to mess with. The studio also told Game Informer that “Uncharted 4” would focus on themes of obsession and addiction and that the treasures Nate hunts in this new game come at an emotional cost.

The news regarding the game’s story and cinematics marks a break from what has been a laser-like focus on its technical merits. The most recent gameplay footage of “Uncharted 4” was shown during Sony’s PSX event in December 2014 and turned heads as a spectacular visual showcase. However, when gamers learned the footage was running at a locked 30fps, doubts emerged as to whether the studio would manage to hit its ambitious target refresh of 60fps.

The studio most recently told Game Informer that achieving a resolution of 1080p running at 60fps in “Uncharted 4” would be an extremely tough task. Game director Bruce Straley also stated that the team would not compromise on its vision for gameplay in order to achieve 60fps. “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” is scheduled for launch sometime during late 2015, exclusively on PlayStation 4.