We’ve known for a while that Naughty Dog was aiming to make Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End something that was going to be very pleasing to the eyes. Now we know the company is also looking to make the game quite pleasing to the ears as well. Naughty Dog Audio Director Phillip Kovats and Senior Sound Designer Robert Krekel appeared on a recent podcast for the Dolby Institute and talked about all the things they’ve done in order to make sure the game sounds as good as it looks.
Among the issues discussed in the podcast is that the development team is going for a “hyper real pulp sound” when it comes to the special effects. Naughty Dog loves movies like Indiana Jones and Star Wars, especially when it comes to those films’ soundtracks. The company says when it comes to music and sound effects, they love to keep things grounded, but also love to push the envelope every now and then. The secret, according to the team is to know when to flip the switch.
When it comes to making sure the game sounds as good as possible for those playing at home, Naughty Dog has got a formula is shoots for. 5.1 is the target and 7.1 is supported, but they also test sound on headphones on TV speakers. The company has worked with some of the best sound teams Sony has to offer in order to create dynamic speaker angles for everyone who is playing the game. You can listen to the whole podcast to get the skinny on everything the team has focused on when it comes to the sound of the game. You’ll get to see how the audio and video mesh when Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End launches in March of 2016.