Uncharted-Like Xbox Game Revealed After Years
A highly secretive Xbox project from the early 2010s has finally surfaced. It was revealed that Microsoft was working on an action-adventure game to rival PlayStation’s iconic Uncharted series. Codenamed “Project Ranger,” this project, despite being canceled, has since resurfaced.
Xbox’s Lost “Uncharted” Project Revealed
New information was shared by gaming researcher Liam Robertson. In a video published on the Did You Know Gaming? channel, Robertson revealed that Microsoft wanted to develop its own “Uncharted” game during the Xbox One era. It was learned that development was being led by Black Tusk Studios, formerly known as The Coalition, a studio known for Gears 5. The studio was initially developing a Halo game for Kinect, but under Microsoft’s direction, it shifted its focus to this new action-adventure project.
Known as “Project Ranger,” the game would combine Naughty Dog’s cinematic narrative with Mission Impossible-style espionage elements. Concept art for the game was developed by students at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and an innovative gameplay approach was even planned, including Kinect support. At the center of the story is a hero named “Cole,” played by Liam McIntyre at the time. In an interesting coincidence, McIntyre now voices Wolverine in Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Wolverine.
It was also revealed that some brief footage of the project was shown at the 2013 Xbox E3 showcase, but the game was not officially announced at the time. As development progressed, creative differences arose between the studio and Microsoft management. As a result of these disagreements, “Project Ranger” was shelved, and The Coalition, led by Rod Fergusson, took over the Gears of War series. Thus, the “Uncharted-like” Xbox game was never completed.
The concept art and early footage in Robertson’s video offer a glimpse into the game’s atmosphere. Had the project not been canceled, Xbox would have had a strong chance of creating a strong contender in the narrative-driven cinematic genre. “Project Ranger” has gone down in history as one of the most mysterious Xbox projects, still a source of “what could have been” questions among gamers today.
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