Nolan North says he would gladly play Nathan Drake again, but his comments point to fan demand and ongoing rumors rather than a confirmed new Uncharted game.
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North wants the call, but there is no official Uncharted call yet
Nolan North has given Uncharted fans the answer they wanted to hear, while also leaving the central question untouched. Speaking during a Q&A at Gamergy in Puerto Rico, the actor said he would be “110%” interested in playing Nathan Drake again if Sony and Naughty Dog ever moved forward with another game. Video Games Chronicle reported the comments from the panel, which was also circulated by X user DomTheBomb, and North’s wording was direct: “100%, absolutely. Oh, yeah.”
The tension is that North’s enthusiasm is confirmed, but a Nathan Drake return is not. In the same discussion, North said he had not heard anything about a new Uncharted announcement. Sony has not announced a new Uncharted game. Naughty Dog has not announced one either. That makes this a story about renewed fan demand, actor availability, and franchise pressure rather than proof of an Uncharted sequel rumor coming true.
North’s comments still carry weight because of who is speaking. He played Nathan Drake across all four main Uncharted games and the PlayStation Vita spin-off Uncharted: Golden Abyss, according to VGC. GameSpot also notes that North did not play Drake in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the 2017 spin-off that centered other characters, though he did have a cameo in the Uncharted movie. For a series so built around banter, panic, narrow escapes, and physical performance, North’s willingness removes one obvious obstacle. It does not create a game.
A business joke landed because PlayStation has left Uncharted quiet for years
North framed his answer with the kind of line that instantly travels through a fanbase: “It just depends if Sony wants to make money.” Push Square, VGC, GameSpot, and PlayStation Universe all reported variations of the quote from the Gamergy panel. North also said he “tries to stay in shape, just in case,” and described Uncharted as “10 years of work with good friends, good people, a great developer.”
The line works because Uncharted has been absent long enough for every spark to feel like a flare. Naughty Dog has not released a mainline Uncharted game since Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2016, as VGC notes. The Lost Legacy followed in 2017, then the franchise moved into collection territory with Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection for PS5 and PC. That means the series has remained visible on modern hardware without receiving a newly announced entry.
From a design perspective, that absence is unusual for one of PlayStation’s clearest action-adventure identities. Uncharted’s signature is rhythm: cover shooting that breaks into traversal, traversal that breaks into cinematic collapse, and dialogue that keeps momentum alive between firefights. Sony has plenty of prestige brands, but few are as immediately legible as Drake hanging by one hand from a crumbling ledge while the camera sells the danger like a summer blockbuster. North’s “Sony wants to make money” remark is a joke, but it points toward a real commercial question: why leave that kind of recognizable set-piece machine dormant?
The current rumor trail is separate from North’s answer
The reporting around a new Uncharted game is where the story needs careful separation. VGC says a recent report, which the outlet says it can partially verify, claimed Naughty Dog is working on a new Uncharted game that could star Nathan Drake and his daughter Cassie as protagonists. Push Square describes rumors of a new entry at Naughty Dog and says the rumored setup would focus on Cassie Drake with Nathan in a supporting role. GameSpot reports that multiple sources have said a fifth mainline Uncharted would follow Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, with Nathan Drake appearing in some capacity.
Those claims are still reports and rumors, not a PlayStation announcement. North himself said he has not heard anything. PlayStation Universe also notes that Naughty Dog has yet to officially announce a new Uncharted game. That is the key distinction for readers searching for a new Uncharted game: an actor saying he would return is confirmed; the existence, cast, platform plan, title, release window, and creative structure of a new Uncharted are unannounced.
There are also small but important differences in how outlets frame the rumor. VGC’s source text says the reported game could star Nathan and Cassie as protagonists. Push Square says rumor has it Cassie would star alongside her father in a supporting role. GameSpot says Nathan would appear in the hypothetical Uncharted 5 in some capacity. Those are not identical claims. If a project exists, those distinctions would radically change the story’s shape, from a handoff adventure to a true Drake family dual lead to a cameo-like return.
Nathan Drake speculation keeps returning because Uncharted 4 closed a door carefully
The reason the Nathan Drake return debate is so persistent is that Uncharted 4 was positioned as a farewell. GameSpot states that A Thief’s End was presented as the definitive end for Nathan Drake’s story when it released in 2016. Pixel Twelve adds useful story context: Uncharted 4 begins with Nathan already having stepped away from treasure hunting before Sam’s return pulls him toward Henry Avery’s fortune, putting another adventure in conflict with the life Nathan has built outside that world.
That ending is why a new Nathan-led game carries narrative risk. North seemed aware of that risk in his panel answer. He said that bringing back a storied franchise would be a huge announcement, but added, “You just don’t want to make a Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” according to VGC, Push Square, and GameSpot. GameSpot interprets that as North hoping Naughty Dog would avoid making something that fails to live up to the franchise’s legacy.
For Uncharted, the danger is not simply age or nostalgia. It is the problem of momentum after closure. Drake’s best adventures work because every set piece tightens the personal stakes. The collapsing train, the sinking ship, the auction heist, the cliffside chase: they are memorable because Drake is always improvising through consequences he helped create. If a new game drags him out of retirement without a strong reason, the pacing may still sparkle, but the emotional engine could sputter. North’s enthusiasm does not erase that challenge.
Sony and Naughty Dog already have a path that does not require undoing Drake
The Lost Legacy is the counterweight to every claim that Uncharted must revolve around Nathan Drake. Push Square notes that the spin-off showed Uncharted can work without him, while Pixel Twelve points out that it put Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross at the center. That matters because the franchise’s toolkit is broader than one protagonist: treasure maps, rival hunters, collapsing architecture, close-range firefights, and character friction can travel to another lead.
A Cassie Drake rumor fits that wider question. If reports are accurate, Naughty Dog could use Nathan as a supporting figure or family anchor rather than the character driving every climb and gunfight. That would align with the handoff implied by Uncharted 4’s ending without necessarily turning Drake back into the same reckless adventurer. But again, that is interpretation based on reported possibilities, not announced design.
There is also a personnel thread around Shaun Escayg. Push Square reports hearsay that Escayg, director of The Lost Legacy, is spearheading the rumored game. PlayStation Universe similarly cites recent gossip that Escayg is working on a project later clarified by leaker NateTheHate as Uncharted. Because this remains leaker-driven and unconfirmed by Naughty Dog, it should be treated as part of the rumor environment rather than established production detail. Still, if The Lost Legacy’s director were involved, it would naturally intensify discussion about whether the next Uncharted should chase Drake nostalgia, ensemble momentum, or a generational pivot.
The practical read: do not plan around Uncharted 5 yet
For players, there is no release date, platform list, price, trailer, preorder page, or official title for a new Uncharted game. The confirmed availability today is the existing catalog, including Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PS5 and PC, as VGC notes. Anything beyond that sits in the space between reporting, rumor, and fan expectation.
Timing is especially uncertain. VGC reports that the rumored Uncharted would be Naughty Dog’s next game after Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and says Intergalactic will not release until next year at least. GameSpot reports that Intergalactic is reportedly due for release in 2027 and suggests a new Uncharted would be more likely for PlayStation 6 if Sony’s next-generation console arrives sometime in 2028, as expected. Those are projections attached to reports, not a PlayStation roadmap.
The cleanest conclusion is narrow but meaningful: Nolan North Nathan Drake demand is alive, and the actor is openly willing. That gives fans a strong quote, gives rumor-watchers new fuel, and gives Sony a reminder that Uncharted still has cultural pull. It does not confirm a new Uncharted game, and it does not answer the hardest creative question Naughty Dog would face if it ever returns to this series: whether Nathan Drake should take the spotlight again, pass the torch, or stay retired with his ending intact.