Uncharted 4 gets reinforcement for its development as a former employee from developer Naughty Dog returns. The said staffer transferred to Ubisoft, and has recently been announced to have come back to its roots. This led to rumors and speculations as to how Nathan Drake's adventures will be influenced, and if this change would have any impact at all.
According to a news article, the Naughty Dog employee was David Ballard, who worked as an Environment Artist. He was with the company from February 2009 up to August 2014. After over five years of serving the developer, he continued his career in Ubisoft, but as a Senior Environment artist. As seen on his LinkedIn profile, his project was on a "AAA Next-Gen title."
He only stayed in Ubisoft for 9 months, before going back to Uncharted's developer. Aside from being an Environment Artist, he is also rendering tasks as a Multiplayer Level Designer. He is suspected to be working on Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, as he had made contributions to its 2nd and 3rd games in the series in the past. It should be noted that The Last of Us is also part of his portfolio.
While it may be thought that Ballard did some work on Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, this hearsay is unlikely as he was stationed at San Francisco's branch of Ubisoft. This is not the studio for the said title. Therefore, those looking for updates from the game will be getting it elsewhere, perhaps in E3.
It is not yet confirmed that Ballard is working on Uncharted 4 already. However, another report mentions two other artists who have been hired to use their expertise on the game. These are Jacob Norris, an Environmental Artist, and Glauco Longhi, a Character Artist.
The release window of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is from holiday of 2015 to spring of 2016, as adjusted by Naughty Dog. Whether this delay would have to do with Ballard's return and possible enhancements to the game is something that needs more verification. Fans should keep posted for more updates to come.
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