'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' Release Date & Update: Is Drake Director Neil Druckmann's Alter-ego?

As Sony-owned Naughty Dog studios rolls protagonist Nathan Drake's story to a close in "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End", excitement over the game's April release is tinged with a bit of apprehension. When Nathan Drake, voiced by "The Last of Us" actor Nolan North, bids goodbye in "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" director Neil Druckmann pretty much says it will leave no room for any other possible sequel in the future. For Nathan Drake that is.

As Eurogamer.Net reports, Druckmann explained the choice to end Nathan's story with "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End." "We've been with this character for so long," Druckmann said. "He's at the height of his popularity, so it's not a good business decision, but I feel like the best way to honor him is to go out on top, to finish his story."

"Whether that's it for 'Uncharted,' I don't know. At the end of the day Sony owns 'Uncharted' and they can do whatever they want. But with the end of this story it will be really hard to do a sequel with Nathan Drake," he added. "Maybe there'll be a prequel, maybe it will be a different character - I don't know. But this is the end for Nathan Drake."

Understandably, fans are grasping at those same possibilities that Druckmann outlined, hoping that Naughty Dog and Sony eventually, at some point, would decide on Nathan Drake's return. The "Uncharted" character is quite well-developed, owing in no small part to Druckmann's artistic and technical style and influence.

Segment Next reports that Druckmann pointed out that at the heart of the ups and downs of "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" are Drake's difficulties in balancing family, friends, passion and the sacrifices he has had to and will have to make for the sake of what or who he loves. Maybe, herein lies the secret of the thief's end.

"If you look at Nathan Drake, he has dealt with obsession his entire life. Whether it's El Dorado in 'Uncharted' or Shangri-La in 'Uncharted 2' or Iram of the Pillars in 'Uncharted 3,' those have been major obsessions for him and we've seen it hurt his relationship. We've seen how between each game his relationship with Elena falls apart."

Druckmann described the opening of "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" as a layout of a very ordinary, almost boring, existence for Drake. "Maybe he's not doing what he's meant to do," Druckmann proposed. "And it might not take much for his brother just to lure him back in." Nathan Drake's brother, Sam Drake, is actor Troy Baker best known as Joel in fellow Naughty Dog game "The Last of Us".

The director deflected any possible comparison of Drake's struggles to his own personal life. While Druckmann says that he, like everyone who has been working on the "Uncharted" series, has been putting much of his soul into the game he would not say that Drake's story is in any way autobiographical.

The Sony-professed most ambitious "Uncharted" game in the series will be available on PS4 come April 2016. Complex reports this to be the number one game to watch out for in the first half of 2016.