'Uncharted 4' release date update: Naughty Dog explains 'Uncharted 4' delay

Twitter courtesy of Naughty Dog

When developer Naughty Dog and publisher Sony announced that the upcoming installment to its PlayStation-exclusive "Uncharted" franchise will have a setback in its release date, many fans were disappointed.

However, the developer insisted that it was also because of their desire to meet and even exceed the expectations of the legions of fans that they decided to postpone and ultimately delay the release of "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End."

In the latest issue of the Official Playstation Magazine, via industry observer GamesRadar, Naughty Dog addressed the delay issue, saying that the delay was because they wanted the finale to end with a bang and be a memorable one.

In the in-depth interview, game director Neil Druckmann scored the need for the delay, even describing the events that led to the "Uncharted 4" roll-out interruption as being similar what happened with a previous Naughty Dog production, "The Last Of Us." Druckmann explained, "It was a very hard decision. 'The Last Of Us' was the first game we ever delayed – by a month – and we felt so guilty and so horrible having to do that, and yet shipping a game that wasn't up to our vision would have felt worse."

Druckmann also added that they didn't arrive at the decision that quickly but ultimately had to settle for the setback in order to make the game better. "We were weighing those choices between fans and their expectations," he explained.

"It was going to disappoint them to push this thing back, but this is the last chapter for Nathan Drake, so let's give ourselves as much time as possible and go all-out for this series."

The delay for "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" was first announced early this year. Instead of the original 2015 release, the finale in Nathan Drake's travels will instead roll out on March 18 next year, an exclusive for the PlayStation 4.