“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” is set to launch in 2016. The development team recently shared some details about the upcoming game during a panel at PlayStation Experience on Dec. 6, 2015.
IGN revealed that Nadine Ross, played by Laura Bailey, is a South African character and the head of Shoreline, a mercenary army-for-hire. Director Neil Druckmann shared that Nadine’s father was a general in the army. He took all the best soldiers and formed a group, which is now led by Nadine, which wreaks havoc all over the globe and performs terrible deeds. Druckmann added that Bailey is a white actress who portrayed a black character.
Although he was first concerned about Bailey’s role, she was the top pick out of several potential candidates. Her performance was so excellent that Druckmann subsequently put all his casting doubts aside. He continued that the appearance of the character does not necessarily need to match the actor. The same approach was used for Joel (Troy Baker) in “The Last of Us.” There is another white character in “Uncharted 4” played by a black actor.
“What’s so awesome about our medium is your outward appearance doesn’t matter at all.” Druckman said at the panel. He added that he stands by his decision 110 percent and would not change anything. He said that he is very proud of Laura and hope that none of their views on the characters would remove what the actress has accomplished.
GameSpot reported that after the roles were cast, Druckmann went to the studio to check the concept designs for the characters. A Naughty Dog concept artist showed a design of a black character, which Druckmann thought was too good not to use. He said that if they were to change the characters, they would already be operating out of fear of something that is completely outside the game. While some suggested changing the character, Druckmann wanted to see her in-game appearance first. The team was very impressed with the final result that they ultimately decided to keep her.
The “Uncharted 4” panel showed new footage featuring Nadine and Sully at a party, while Drake and his brother get ready for a mission.
“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” will release on Mar. 18, 2016. The multiplayer beta is currently open. Sony also shared that the game will feature branching dialogue options for the first time. The game will be exclusive for PlayStation 4.