Uncharted has always seemed like a great game to include some campaign co-op gameplay and it could well be on the cards for Uncharted 4 if a recent job listing post on Naughty Dog’s website is anything to go by.

The developer of the Uncharted series and The Last of Us is currently on the lookout for someone to fill the position of, “Game Designer (Co-op).”

Elements mentioned in the listing included:

• Co-op AI & encounter design – designing and scripting co-op combat encounters, AI behaviour design, and difficulty balancing
• Co-op system design – creating mechanics, game modes, progression systems, reward structures, social features, etc. To serve the co-op experience. Creating and iterating gameplay designs with the team, and working in script to implement and/or tune them.
• Experience playing third-person action games
• Experience in developing third-person action games a bonus
• Experience in scripting for action games a bonus

Uncharted 3 had a separate side mode that incorporated co-op elements for a few rounds of holding off waves of enemies in a horde-esque manner, but nothing actually built into the campaign. Is that about to change for the new game?

For much of the series, Drake has worked in tandem with a partner, be it Elena, Chloe or Sully, and it’s always seemed a shame that a second player couldn’t hop into their shoes.

Do we want a second player to join us throughout the adventure though? It’s going to be hard work keeping the cinematic feel and scripting intense set pieces when you have to handle two players. It’s not like Dead Space 3 was much of a success after all. That said, it’s about time next-gen started to push the boat out with gameplay to match the graphical grunt. Is Naughty Dog the studio to do it?

[Naughty Dog Careers]