Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception REVEALED, Out Late Next Year [First Art Inside]

Naughty Dog ARE making a new Uncharted and it will be set in the desert and will carry the subtitle of Drake’s Deception.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the game will be released on PS3 “late next year”.

According to Ann Hennig, Naughty Dog’s creative director, the theme of deception has multiple meanings and will involve Drake doing some deceiving of his own, as well as him being deceived about his identity.

The story will also focus on his relationship with his mentor and father figure, Victor “Sully” Sullivan. with the main plot being Drake’s search for a legendary lost city previously known by various names including “Iram of the Pillars” and the “Atlantis of the Sands”.

The journey will ultimately take him to the Arabian Peninsula and the vast wasteland of the Rub’ al Khali Desert, also known as the Empty Quarter.

The plot reportedly draws from the early real life escapades of T.E. Lawrence – better known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. However, rather than his esteemed military career, Uncharted 3 draws from the Brit’s early years as an archaeologist.

The reason behind the choice of location is that the desert setting was ‘inspired’ by Naughty Dog’s desire to answer a ‘challenge’ – that of rendering organic elements like water, fire and sand, which are technically difficult to credibly render with animation.

Hennig said:

“When we first came up with the idea of sand, you see everyone’s eyes light up here and go, ‘Yeah, that’s going to be really hard – let’s do it!’”

Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells added:

“We’re a bunch of nerds. We just look for something that will be a technical, artistic challenge, and allowed us to push into an area of the world and history we’ve never tapped into before.”

There’s no confirmed release date yet, but Naughty Dog has confirmed that it will hit shelves around the same time as the first Nathan Drake novel, Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth, which hits shelves in the autumn. (our spring)

EW reports: “Uncharted 3′s release date could be announced in the first trailer for the game, scheduled to air during the Spike Videogame Awards on Dec. 11.”

[Credit to CVG for screens]