A foray into Uncharted territories

Game development, especially of massive triple-A scale, is serious business, which is why major publishers and developers are known to outsource certain aspects of game production to different companies worldwide. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, the final installment in Naughty Dog's acclaimed action-adventure series, is no exception.

While the game is due to arrive on the PlayStation 4 in just a few days, it's worth noting that it was delayed three times from its holiday 2015 release window, with co-directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley stating that "this game is much ambitious than we originally envisioned".

But what gamers didn't know was that a team of highly talented Malaysians played a quiet but crucial role in bringing Nathan Drake's latest globe-trotting journey to life. While the name Passion Republic may not strike you as immediately familiar, the creative minds behind the 10-year-old company were tapped to work on game assets behind notable titles such as Batman: Arkham Knight, Dark Souls III, Mortal Kombat X, The Order: 1886, and even the soon-to-be-released Shadow of the Beast remake.

According to Ng Aik Sern, President and Founder of Passion Republic Sdn Bhd, the team was contracted by Sony Interactive Entertainment just before Christmas last year to assist Naughty Dog in the creation of treasure, artifact and illustration assets. In addition to familiarizing with the workflow and pipeline, the team was given a six-week deadline to complete the tasks. The team quickly doubled in size to 15 artists, while at the same time working closely with Naughty Dog's Art Director, Erick Pangilinan, and the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) throughout the development timeframe.

At the end, the production time was extended to nine weeks, which puts the number of assets "in the hundreds". Ng commented that Passion Republic is truly grateful with the vote of confidence from Sony Interactive Entertainment, Naughty Dog, as well as Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, MDEC's Director of Creative Content & Technologies, for the opportunity to work on what is arguably one of the most important games in PlayStation history.

"We recognize that there are an increasing number of talented game studios in South East Asia region, particularly in Malaysia. The case of Passion Republic's involvement in 'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' is a fine example of top-notch talents in Malaysia contributing to the development of our stellar titles," commented Naito Arata, Product Manager, Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End currently holds a Metacritic average of 94/100, indicating 'universal acclaim'. A midnight launch and week-long roadshow is set to commence from May 9 onwards at Sunway Pyramid.

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