Uncharted’s Loss Is Tomb Raider's Gain

Given that Naughty Dog is giving up on one of its staple franchises, now is the best time for Tomb Raider games to capitalize on that.

[jambola]

It's not a loss to move on?

[SullysCigar]

This nonsense article also neatly sidesteps the fact that just because Naughty Dog are moving on from the franchise, that doesn't mean the franchise stops. ALL of the Uncharted games were amazing and the last one was a moving finale for Drake, but you can bet your bottom dollar the franchise will return after a well-earned hiatus with a BANG, even if it's handed to one of Sony's other studios to develop.

[VenomUK]

I love Uncharted (2 and 1 are my favourites). But there is such a thing as franchise fatigue especially with story or character driven games. So it makes sense to let a series rest, it’s good for the audience and it’s good for the developers who get to express their creativity on new projects. Like he⬆ said, it will return and if the gap is long enough that will be exciting for everyone.

[Flawlessmic]

Yea I don't see how naughty dog possibly giving us a new ip is a loss at all, it's exactly what I and most others want.

All the uncharted were awesome bit that series had its time now it's onto bigger and better things.

In 10 yrs time then sure I'd be up for another one but not now.

[senorfartcushion]

To some live service nonsense most likely.

I’ll be screencapping this reply for the time they do announce their new game.

It’ll be an open world Souls ripoff with microtransactions and events

[KeeseToast]

Sony Bend did great work on Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Since it is unlikely we are getting a Days Gone 2 I would like Bend to continue the franchise (and finally port over Golden Abyss to any other platform then Vita 😞)

[_SilverHawk_]

It's silly to think that one of Playstations most successful franchise sony will stop making even after making a blockbuster film about it.

[badz149]

@KeeseToast

heck yeah! more of Eddie Raja please

[fr0sty]

Since when is not milking a franchise until it's diluted down to garbage like Call of Duty a bad thing? They have a golden franchise full of amazing games, no need to keep trying to squeeze more money out of it at expense of the quality of the game.

[CobraKai]

I agree. I’m actually glad that they’re not just making more Uncharted titles just to keep the franchise going. It ended. It was great. Let it rest.

[isarai]

"Loss"? "Giving up"? Bowing out after 6 extremely successful entries is not a loss, nor is it giving up. It's a well earned retirement. And honestly i dont have much hope in TR anymore, especially after being bought by Amazon.

[jambola]

Yeah, especially from a team like naughty dog who are well known to change it up from generation to generation

[robtion]

Naughty dog have amazing talent and I traditionally bought all of their games day 1. That is until TLOU2 (which I bought and enjoyed until 1/2 way through). Woke garbage.

[MadLad]

They've been making the same two IPs since the PS3.
What exactly have then been switching up.

And I actually love their games; just trying to see what they've been actually switching up.

[jambola]

@madlad
ps1, crash bandicoot
ps2, jak and daxter
ps3, uncharted / tlou

[NecrumOddBoy]

Are people just going to ignore the last PlayStation games medley commercial? There is a new Uncharted game coming; it’s just not created by Naughty Dog.

https://youtu.be/TXwhpK4y-5...

[Chevalier]

"They've been making the same two IPs since"

Same guy who never criticizes Xbox for Halo, Forza, Forza Horizon, Gears studios for only ever having worked a single IP EVER. Hypocrite much?

Naughty Dog at least is working on a new IP and will average 1 new IP each generation. Which Xbox studios even make 1 new IP each gen?

[MadLad]

Literally always gives credit to Sony where I feel it's due.
Said I really enjoyed Halo Infinite's campaign, but acknowledge that they dropped the ball with the online.
Loves Forza Horizon, yet don't have any interest in the original series.
Yes I do love Gears of War.
I also love Uncharted and the Last of Us (mainly the first one).

What does that have to do with me asking someone who claims Naughty Dog switches up their stuff every generation, when all they have made over three generations have been two IPs?

Please tell me how I'm wrong. I'll wait.

[GotGame818]

I agree with you first and foremost! This year is different though, because Microsoft bought Bethesda.

Hi-Fi, Redfall, and Starfield are all new IP'S. Without Bethesda, Microsoft would have nothing new as far as IP'S this year. Hi-Fi is fantastic. Redfall I am not getting a good vibe from, and doubt it will be nearly as good as Deathloop. That leaves Starfield. I am taking a wait and see attitude. If it's a buggy mess that will suck. With 1000 planets, are they going to be empty?

All that said. Uncharted is probably my favorite Playstation IP. Fantastic story telling with top notch graphics!

[FGHFGHFGH]

@MadLad

Uncharted and TLOU were on ps3 and ps4 so that's two generations not three. They're making a new ip for ps 5 right?

"What does that have to do with me asking someone who claims Naughty Dog switches up their stuff every generation, when all they have made over three generations have been two IPs?

Please tell me how I'm wrong. I'll wait. "

[SDuck]

you're counting re-releases in those 6 entries, right? Otherwise, what am I missing?

[Zhipp]

I think he's including the uncharted 4 dlc.

[isarai]

Golden abyss
Lost Legacy

[Snookies12]

I was quite frankly happy to hear they're not going to milk this franchise. I absolutely love it, and would hate to see it fall into Assassin's Creed territory. Another series I loved so much back in the day, I got a tattoo for it. At this point, I haven't even played half the AC games and never will. They hit it out of the park time and time again with Uncharted. Let it rest with dignity and on a really high note.

[SoulWarrior]

Uncharted 4 finished Drake's story perfectly, and after the medoicre 3rd entry in the TR reboot series I don't see how ND lost anything personally.

[zsquaresoff]

Pretty sure there will be another Uncharted game. It's Tomb Raider that has to actually prove itself as the last game in the series IMO, was not very good.

[Sonic1881]

Because the last game was not developed by Crystal Dynamics

[Pocahontas]

I actually enjoy shadow the most but CD has the polish and feel.

[-Foxtrot]

Tomb Raider should focus on getting back to being a Tomb Raider game, not Uncharted with open hub and small RPG elements.

Uncharted did their own thing and seeing Lara become a full on Rambo is pretty sad

[Imalwaysright]

Coming from someone that claimed that Core Design TR games were adventure games wich just shows how unbelievably ignorant you are about the TR IP.

[-Foxtrot]

Lol what a dickish response

You’re ignorant of the old TR games and clearly don’t care for them so you try and spin that shit onto me. You have no clue and your replies on TR articles show that this the disagrees.

Hey if you like the new ones good for you but don’t try and pretend the new ones are true sequels to the classic PS1 games.

[Imalwaysright]

Funny considering that I always get the last word when you go on one of your ignorant rants about TR case and point when you were claiming that Shadow of the Tomb Raider had copied Uncharted due to the simple fact that it featured Lara when she was a kid. If you weren't so ignorant about the IP you would know that kid Lara was featured in TR Last Revelations wich was a game that was released well before ND created Uncharted. Also I don't have to pretend anything considering that the reboots have all the elements that the original TR set as standard for action adventure games because this may come as a surprise to you but Core Designs TR game weren't adventure games, they were action adventure games.

Also disagrees? Is that supposed to make me laugh? We're on a website in wich you can say something and back up every single thing you said by providing links and still get your comments disagreed to hell so that's quite a pathetic argument you have there.

[Pocahontas]

They absolutely were. Last word means nothing you absolute moron.

[Imalwaysright]

Pocahontas

Calling me a moron while you're displaying your ignorance is something that I find amusing. Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Walking Dead from Telltale studios, The Longest Journey, or Life is Strange are examples of adventure games. TR games are and have always been ACTION adventure games and Core Designs TR were pioneers in 3D action adventure games. Many of the things we see in action adventure games to this very day were built upon the standards that were established by the original TR games and that includes the latest TR trilogy from Crystal Dynamics.

[-Foxtrot]

@Pocahontas

Ignore him

He clearly doesn't understand Tomb Raider, he won't get it and refuses to let it go.

Tomb Raider was an third person platform adventure-shooter game with puzzle elements and small action elements

Tomb Raider 2013 is a third person action game with open world hubs and small RPG elements

They are not the same and if you called the 2013 something brand new like "The Island" with leading character "Laura Caine" you would NEVER know it was supposed to be a new Tomb Raider game.

[Michiel1989]

if you are gonna be a a little sissy about details: monkey island etc were point and click adventure games, not adventure games.

[Imalwaysright]

Michiel1989

If you weren't an idiot you would realize that the "point and click part" doesn't change the fact that those are adventure games wich are nothing like action adventure games.

[chronoforce]

The reboot and its sequel pre-date UC4 and I can't imagine the prior Uncharted games inspired them to make the game less linear. CD did a good Job rebooting the franchise.

[Imalwaysright]

-Foxtrot

"adventure-shooter" Even by attempting to play with semantics you end up proving my point. The "small action" you're referring to was because of the "shooter" part of your comment so you just played yourself. Trying to pretend that TR wasn't a action adventure game is absolutely ridiculous especially considering that Lara's dual pistols are almost as iconic as Lara herself. Hell if you asked people, that unlike you actually played the original TR, what was the most memorable part about the game I wouldn't be surprised if most of them would say that it was the fight against the T-Rex.

"They are not the same and if you called the 2013 something brand new like "The Island" with leading character "Laura Caine" you would NEVER know it was supposed to be a new Tomb Raider game."

And yet a certain game made by a studio named Naughty Dog wich had a debonair lead character called Nathan Drake was given the nickname "Dude Raider" because of the obvious similarities it had with Tomb Raider...

[-Foxtrot]

Didn’t read it

Just jumped straight to the reply

Please. Stop. It’s over. Give it a rest man

You don’t get it and it’s okay

[Imalwaysright]

Of course you didn't... and once again I get to see you running away with your 2 tails between your legs.

[-Foxtrot]

Still didn’t…

[EvertonFC]

Playstation don't run there franchises into the ground, cough halo, cough gears.

[kingnick]

343i ran Halo into the ground and the Gears games were good but the formula got stale and the games didn't change enough to appeal to the masses.

[Number1TailzFan]

Or the same tired junk over and over with no changes - Mario Kart, Pokemon from Nintendo.

[EvertonFC]

Not sure about the mario kart as it's a racer just like GT7 and I don't believe they've become stale even though they have the same formula.
But agree when it comes to same old FPS or 3rd person action shooter.
Never played a Pokémon game soni couldn't comment on that one.

[Chevalier]

To be fair to Nintendo they do sell like 20-50 million for Mario Kart and Pokemon and they heavily depend on 1st party game sales.

[kingnick]

I think it's more a case of the saturation of shooter genre. So many games were inspired by Halo and Gears of War and delivered results to a comparable standard that Halo and Gears lost the standout value the franchises once had.

Racing games are a bit different in that bumping graphics and mild gameplay tweaks are sufficient to move units, there just aren't as many racing franchises. Mario Kart has timeless appeal for many people but I have not played a Mario Kart game since the Wii days.

Pokemon is so popular it doesn't have to innovate but it'd be awesome if another studio was given the chance to develop a more technologically ambitious Pokemon game for the next Switch.

[EvertonFC]

Can we not just ban "gamerant" articles on this site ? They haven't written anything but trash.

[senorfartcushion]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen an article featuring a headline that’s not automatically glowingly positive about a PlayStation - or any PlayStation franchise - get anything more than abuse in the comments. That’s N4G for you. Too many single nerds, too focused on creating an identity around the stuff they buy.

[Pocahontas]

Don’t ban speech even if it’s trash. Let the homeless eat.

[HeliosHex]

Perhaps lara croft should go on a long vacation as well.

[monkey602]

I like how Uncharted ended and I'm happy to leave it there.
Tomb Raider went to crap with the recent trilogy. I want a new adventure and I've my eye on Indiana Jones to provide it.

[Godmars290]

That TR is on its nth reboot attempt just proves that, once their stories are done, just like Uncharted IPs need to be shelved.

[kingnick]

I really liked the exploration in the Uncharted games and the Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy but I was less keen on the action sequences.

I really hope Naughty Dog make an adventure game at some point but I don't see happening as the genre doesn't sell as much as games with more action.

Tomb Raider may have become more relevant in the industry by copying Uncharted but the increased emphasis on action made the later part of Rise of the Tomb Raider a real slog. The adventuring and puzzle were far more fun. Shadow of the Tomb Raider was a nice change of pace

Good to see Sony isn't forcing Naughty Dog to milk their franchises into the ground.

[Lighter9]

Here's hoping for Savage Starlight: The Game.

[chronoforce]

I have much respect for a studio that can reboot an iconic franchise well but even more for one that can walk away from one. I am reminded of Bungie being willing to walk away from Halo but being able to build Destiny. They could have failed to make anything of Destiny but they gave it a shot. CD are a talented bunch, it would be cool for them to make something original but they have to do what they have to do.

[GamingSinceForever]

ND may be done with Uncharted but that does not mean Sony is.

As for Tomb Raider I wasn't as much of a fan of the most recent reboot series because they made the puzzles optional. They need to make them a mandatory integral part of the game again. Even if the story lacks in comparison to Uncharted I think brining back the puzzles will win fans over again.

[Ninver]

Uncharted is one of the most incredibly iconic series ever. ND has certainly earned a break from the series but rest assured it'll be back with a bang when gamers don't expect it.

[jznrpg]

Someone else(Sony Studio of course) will most likely make Uncharted it just won’t be Naughty Dog at the helm. I do think if a Sony studio makes another Umcharted, Naughty Dog will help with the transition .

It’s not a loss at all . Naughty Dog will work on New IP and most likely a different studio will make one later at some point. The first Tomb reboot Raider was pretty good but 2&3 were not fun I didn’t finish either of them. Uncharted was much better gameplay and story wise .

[CrimsonWing69]

The Tomb Raider reboot is a weird series for me. I think the first was great, the 2nd... I mean it had moments but then became a slog for me to get through and I didn't think the story was all that compelling. The third starts off strong, like reeeaaaalllly strong, but holy crap once you reach Peru or wherever its pretty boring.

My experiences with Uncharted felt like I was playing a fantastic adventure movie. None of them let me down. I just don't think Tomb Raider will ever be on the level of Uncharted. Is Crystal Dynamics still going to develop them?

[patrick1]

Wouldn't a Drake vs. Croft game or movie be sort of dope?

[Starman69]

Very excited for the next tomb raider! Been a huge fan since the first ever game. I hope the franchise lives on strong 💪. Shame about uncharted, but only a small shame as whatever naughty dag puts its name to, becomes a classic 😎🙌 roll on their new project

[Vengeance1138]

Who said Uncharted wasn't going to continue? It definitely is, just not by Naughty Dog.

[Miraak82]

I mean tomb raider is more like Indiana jones , just doesn’t know when to quit lol

[Aloymetal]

In order for TR to gain anything at all, they need first and foremost to fix the robotic and clunky movement of Lara. No one in the industry including devs/platforms can't touch ND's fluid and realistic characters movement tech.

[SyntheticForm]

"Giving up" implies they tried and failed with Uncharted which couldn't be further from the truth. Tsk, tsk, Gamerant.

[anast]

No it's not. For one simple reason. There are not enough creative people to actually make a great and innovative Tomb Raider game right now. The industry is trending more toward color by numbers. Maybe in the future, but at the moment what solid "DEV" squad that is not currently working on a good game could actually pull this off?

[Aloymetal]

Exactly!

[mastershredder]

3rd person adventure shooter and wall climber game.... is everyone's gain... and why there is a bunch of existing and announced IPS that play just like them. you should refer "Naughty Dog" as Neil Druckmann-dog. Naughty dog was a different crew of peeps. They retired or jumped ship for good reason.

[LucidIllusion]

TR is mediocre

[dmonee]

I get it. Lara isnt done yet! Shadow of the tomb raider is 5yo and still looks amazing.

[Youngindy21]

I've played all the Uncharted games and all the Tomb Raider games and honestly I prefer Tomb Raider over Uncharted. I was literally bored to tears playing Uncharted 4, but all the Tomb Raider games kept my attention.

[P_Bomb]

I mean, I’ve always played both regardless.

[Abear21]

Oh great, yeah, we all really just want another clone of this type of third person action stealth shooter regurgitated one more time…it would be nice if they at least included some other vehicles and weapons. I’m waiting on next Just Cause to be please be good. Tired of linear climbing, forced walk and talk, and puzzles that take a minute to figure out but 10 minutes to complete. Be better devs, too bad hardware is holding back big game moments we thought we’d have on the reg by now.

[SeTTriP]

@MadLad

Ps1 crashbanicoot (hit franchise)
Ps2 jack&dexter (hit franchise)
Ps3 uncharted & the last of us (two mega franchises in one console cycle) one of which had one of the best multi-player components of any game past or present.
A HBO series (hit t.v show)

This studio is beyond exceptional, I think they can make any game they set their mind to but they always finish what they start and then they move on and they know when to do so.

[Knightofelemia]

I still prefer UC over the latest Tomb Raider games that have been released.

[sdplisken]

crash, jak and daxter, uncharted, last of us, ..........
moving on is good

[Crows90]

Giving up???
You mean they wrapped up the story? Cuz thats one happened. Nobody gave up anything.

[BABI-PANGPANG]

I'm wondering what would be a good approach for the next Tomb Raider, if they decide to make another reboot I mean. I'd say definitely more exploring, climbing puzzles, next to no human enemies and that desolated feel without going full Beksiński.