Uncharted designer Benson Russell opposes Drake’s Fortune remake

Benson Russell, a former designer at Naughty Dog who worked on the original Uncharted trilogy and The Last of Us, has expressed opposition to a potential remake of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Speaking on the FRVR podcast, Russell argued that a remake would be unnecessary because the original game remains part of the cultural zeitgeist and is already accessible on modern consoles through collections like Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection.

Russell noted that remakes are most effective when the original is technically inaccessible or has poor controls, citing the System Shock remake as a valid example. In contrast, he believes remaking Uncharted would require rewriting the story and altering key set pieces to meet modern standards, which would ultimately change the spirit and essence of the original game. He characterized the idea as potentially being more of a ‘cash grab’ than a necessity.

Instead of revisiting old titles, Russell suggested that Naughty Dog should focus on creating new entries in the franchise, perhaps by setting a new game in an earlier time period or utilizing lessons learned from Uncharted 4.