Benson Russell, who served as a designer on the original Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, has voiced his reservations about the prospect of a remake for the 2007 PlayStation 3 title. Russell believes that remaking games that remain culturally relevant and accessible on modern platforms is an unnecessary endeavor.
Speaking with FRVR, Russell explained his viewpoint, contrasting Drake's Fortune with games like System Shock, which he feels benefit more from modern remakes due to issues such as outdated controls that hindered player access. He pointed out that Drake's Fortune is still readily playable on current consoles, questioning the necessity of a new version.
"I just don’t see the point of remaking [it]," Russell stated. "You’d have to rewrite the whole story to make it better, which means you’re going to change the spirit and you’re going to change the scenes and what the first one was about, right? You’re going to have to add all these scenes or take things away and a lot of the key set pieces — are you going to keep those? Are you going to have to redo them because they don’t fit your story? It doesn’t make any sense [to remake it]."
Russell extended this sentiment to other remakes, including The Last of Us Part 1, suggesting that games are often old for specific reasons. He concluded that a remake of Drake's Fortune would feel like a "cash grab" rather than a necessary project, advising against recreating the first game in the series.
While Naughty Dog has not officially announced any plans for a Drake's Fortune remake, the studio is reportedly focused on its next title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Simultaneously, rumors persist about a potential The Last of Us 3, fueled by comments from studio head Neil Druckmann.