California-based development studio Naughty Dog announced that the release of "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" has been delayed.
Originally, the game was scheduled to come out this year but the studio decided to push back its release date to spring of 2016.
According to the game's directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckman, "Uncharted 4" was delayed in order to give the development team enough time to work on the game.
"We've made the difficult choice of pushing the game's release date," the two wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "Giving us a few extra months will make certain that 'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' not only meets the team's high standards but the high standards that gamers have come to expect from a Naughty Dog title."
The development studio did not mention the technical reasons why "Uncharted 4" was delayed. However, Cinema Blend speculated that the issue might have been caused by the leadership changes in Naughty Dog's hierarchy.
Ever since game publisher Sony first announced the development of the project during the 2013 E3 gaming conference, Naughty Dog has undergone significant changes in its staff lineup.
Amy Hennig, who served as the creative director and writer of the first three "Uncharted" games, left the company in 2014 and is now with "Battlefield Hardline" developer Visceral Games.
Her co-director in "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception," Justin Richmond, also left the company to work for Riot Games, the studio behind "League of Legends."
Due to Hennig and Richmond's departure, "The Last of Us" directors Straley and Druckmann took over the "Uncharted" project. Although the two have already worked on previous "Uncharted" games, they may have directional ideas that are different from those conceptualized by Hennig for the latest installment of the franchise.
"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" is expected to debut next year exclusively for the PlayStation 4. The game follows the story of series protagonist Nathan Drake, now retired, as he returns to treasure hunting and uncover the mystery behind a long lost pirate colony.
