Uncharted 4 Documentary Reveals Major Gameplay and Story Differences Before Being Rebooted

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It’s been ten years since the release of Uncharted 4, and a recent documentary has shown how much the game initially differed from what we ultimately played. The earliest ideas for Uncharted 4 – including a completely different story and characters – were vastly unlike the final game created by Naughty Dog.

Man, getting Uncharted 4 made was a total rollercoaster. I’ve heard from people who worked on it that development was super stressful, and it actually caused some friction between Naughty Dog and the bosses at Sony. Apparently, Sony almost pulled the plug on the whole thing! The original director, Amy Hennig, ended up leaving, and then Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley stepped in to basically rebuild the story and gameplay. It’s crazy to think how close we were to never getting that game!

New Documentary Dives Into Just How Different Uncharted 4 Looked Before Amy Hennig Left Naughty Dog

YouTuber Thekempy created a nearly 90-minute documentary examining the planned features that didn’t make it into Uncharted 4. The video details the original ideas of Amy Hennig and how the game changed after Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley became involved. Uncharted 4 had a particularly lengthy development period for Naughty Dog, ultimately setting the stage for a new direction in the story of Nathan Drake.

Features That Were Originally Part of Amy Hennig’s Version of Uncharted 4

  • Sam Drake and Rafe Adler were supposed to be played by different actors.
  • Many levels were left out of the finished product.
  • Sam would have had a more villain-like role.
  • Charlie Cutter was going to return.
  • Certain gameplay mechanics were cut.
  • The original version didn’t have the playable orphanage section.
  • The story was expected to be much different.

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There were some major changes made during development. Interestingly, Todd Stashwick was originally cast as Sam Drake before Troy Baker took the role, and Alan Tudyk was going to play Rafe Adler instead of Warren Kole. Considering Troy Baker’s strong and ongoing relationship with Naughty Dog – especially after his acclaimed performance as Joel Miller in The Last of Us – it’s surprising to imagine him not playing Sam.

Fans who liked Charlie Cutter from Uncharted 3 will likely be disappointed to learn he won’t be returning. While Uncharted 4 mentions him, it’s fun to imagine how the story could have been different if he’d been involved. Many players have hoped to see Charlie reappear, and with rumors about a potential Uncharted 5 circulating, there’s still a chance he might show up in a future game.

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Although Hennig had a fascinating idea for Nathan Drake’s story, the final version of Uncharted 4 became incredibly popular with players. It’s still considered one of Naughty Dog’s greatest games. Despite its success, Thekempy’s documentary offers a captivating glimpse at the game that almost was.

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2026-05-11 21:36