GAME · 2011
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
- Developer
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3
25 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
14 Facts From the Development of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
- #001
Creative director Amy Hennig said the wish for a desert-themed Uncharted came from a drive to push the team creatively and technologically, since "organic" elements like sand, water and fire are hard to render credibly with animation.
- #002
Game director Justin Richmond said Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was designed to feel more open than earlier Uncharted games, while remaining not an open-world game. He described the aim as letting players ride far into the middle of nowhere and still encounter action and adventure, so the character's feeling of being lost in the desert comes through.
- #004
Naughty Dog acknowledged that Uncharted 2's multiplayer fell short of its potential because the team lacked sufficient time to refine it.
- #005
Naughty Dog stated that its multiplayer testing for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception showed damage and health values should closely match those in the single-player mode.
- #006
Naughty Dog revealed that Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception would not use a dedicated server, as the studio was targeting a potential four-year lifespan for the game.
- #007
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was the second game to use the PlayStation Network Pass, following Resistance 3, according to Juan Jimenez, software manager for Sony Spain. A one-time code included with copies of the game gave first-time buyers immediate access to online multiplayer, while second-hand purchasers had to pay extra for online play.
- #008
Game director Justin Richmond said that without the money from Sony's PSN Pass, Uncharted 3 would not have been able to afford as much online content, and might have had to split its online and offline content into separate products.
- #009
According to lead designer Richard Lemarchand, Naughty Dog worked on "the biggest and most epic and jaw-dropping game" with Uncharted 3. The game reached gold status in October 2011, allowing it to enter manufacturing ahead of its release the following month.
- #012
According to Arne Meyer, Naughty Dog aimed to advance the film-like sections for which the Uncharted series had been praised when making Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.
- #013
Naughty Dog stated that Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception runs on an evolved version of the engine used in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, enabling improved physics, visuals and environmental effects.
- #014
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception introduced new innovations in sand, fire, smoke and water dynamics and effects, along with more realistic textures and animations and expanded character movement.
- #015
According to Naughty Dog, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is graphically superior to Uncharted 2.
- #024
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was the largest game to date, and larger games typically require more motion-capture and art assets, high-resolution textures, music, voice audio, environments and content.
- #025
According to Mick Hocking, director of Sony WorldWide Studios' 3D team, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception "will show a new level in 3D gaming" and "looks phenomenal in 3D".
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