The Drake's Fortune subtitle is a reference to the fictional main character, Nathan Drake, who believes himself to be a descendant of famed explorer Sir Francis Drake. A 400-year-old clue in the coffin of Sir Francis Drake sets the modern-day fortune hunter on an exploration for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The search turns deadly when Drake becomes stranded on the island and hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.
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In an old EGM interview, co-president Evan Wells admitted the ending boss fight was shaped by the confines of the island they'd already built, and that a bit more time might have let them do something flashier. Amy Hennig chimed in too, noting games often struggle with escalating to a climax the way movies don't have to.
Elena Fisher wasn't always the blonde journalist players remember. Early in development she was designed as a short-haired brunette, and it was only fairly late in production that the team switched her over to the look that stuck for the rest of the series.
The Nathan Drake originally on the drawing board was pictured as a guy in his twenties, which is part of why his voice was pitched a bit higher and his build a lot leaner than the Drake players actually got in the finished game.
Drake's Fortune earned itself a spot in Tony Mott's well-known book '1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die', sitting alongside a curated list of titles considered essential playing across gaming history.
Drake's Fortune sold over a million copies within just ten weeks of hitting shelves, quickly earning it a place in the European Platinum Range of best-selling titles and proving Naughty Dog's gamble on a brand new IP had paid off.
Nolan North has talked about how Amy Hennig was practically writing the story on the fly during motion capture sessions, shaping lines and scenes based on how the actors' performances were actually landing in the room rather than sticking rigidly to a finished script.
Drake's Fortune picked up nominations across the board in its debut year, including a nod for Best PlayStation Game at the Spike Video Game Awards, a technical achievement nomination at the BAFTA Games Awards, and a Best Original Adventure Game win at the NAVGTR Awards.
Drake's Fortune leaned on the PS3's motion-sensing Sixaxis controller for some surprisingly hands-on moments, having players physically tilt the controller to lob grenades accurately or keep Drake balanced while creeping across narrow logs.
Naughty Dog couldn't resist sneaking their own games into each other. In The Last of Us, players can find plush toys of Nathan Drake, Jak, and Daxter sitting alongside an actual Uncharted board game, tucked away on dorm room shelves for anyone bothering to search the rooms properly.
Emily Rose landed the role of Elena Fisher almost by accident, she'd just tagged along to support a friend who was auditioning, and ended up getting cast herself thanks to the chemistry she showed reading opposite Nolan North.
