Uncharted 3

In the space of four years Uncharted has emerged as one of PlayStation’s flagship franchises.

Protagonist Nathan Drake has picked up where Indiana Jones and Lara Croft have left off to become the world’s most exciting action treasure hunter. 

His 2007 adventure Drake’s Fortune was a brilliant mix of platforming, gunplay and exploration, but it was the 2009 sequel Among Thieves that made Uncharted one of the most essential games on PS3, winning multiple awards and securing a Metacritic score of 96.

Its mix of gameplay styles and movie-quality storytelling has helped the series shift some 8m units worldwide, while comics and a novel have also been released.

But Sony rightly thinks the franchise can be so much bigger. An Uncharted movie is currently in the planning stages, while the series is making the jump to portables in PS Vita launch title, Golden Abyss.

The next big moment for Uncharted takes place this November in the series’ third PS3 blockbuster, Drake’s Deception. 

Blowing up Q4

The title’s stunning visuals have already evoked gasps from E3 and Gamescom attendees, with previews proving overwhelmingly positive. 

And to make sure Uncharted 3 outsells its predecessors, Sony UK is running its biggest campaign ever – with a budget of £5m.

“Uncharted 3 is the cornerstone of the PlayStation 3 marketing activity this peak,” says SCE UK senior product manager Ian Vinten.

“We are heavily supporting the game as it highlights the kind of rich experiences that are only available on PlayStation. 

“This will be the biggest launch in SCE UK’s history, both in terms of ambition, numbers and spend and will be supported by a marketing budget of around £5 million.”

TV hunt

Sony will run TV ads this month across various channels alongside its Five Movies sponsorship, which has been running throughout 2011. The ads will focus on the game’s cinematic nature.

Drake goes digital

Oscar-winning director and producer Ed Zwick (The Last Samurai, Traffic) has produced a short film about ‘what does it mean to be a hero?’. It will be hosted across digital PlayStation channels. 

Online push

There’s already been video seeding of trailers across the web, but Sony is also targeting gamers and mainstream audiences through takeovers of specialist and lifestyle websites.

The Uncharted outdoors

48-sheet posters are part of the early outdoor activity. Post-release, six-sheets and digital screens will show up in shopping malls. Gamers can play the title at PlayStation Access events.