Naughty Dog’s birthday message made everyone want to revisit the times of the Uncharted Universe. The studio remembered the late Richard McGonagle, the famous voice of Victor “Sully” Sullivan, and fans went wild. The post from the official gaming studio stated that his acting performances “added heart and levity from the very beginning” of the Uncharted franchise, which seems pretty accurate?? Sully has been that likeable yet grumpy main character since day one.
That’s why the tweet instantly went viral with users sharing their favorite Sully scenes and just asking for more Uncharted stuff. Eugene Prunk, for example, dubbed Sully his “favourite Uncharted character” with a heart emoji, which I must say is very true. Dani Hay made the old Sully expression “Of all the goddamn luck” come to life again, and that made me want to go back to the times when I was playing these games for the first time. The timing of the line is just… perfect.
But the most astonishing part is the number of gamers who consider this birthday greeting as a green light to demand the new series. Leonardo Reis made it clear when he said; “Make a New uncharted game, come on guys,” and he is not the only one. André from Sweden was quite certain with his recommendation “Make a Uncharted Sully game,” while another gamer asked for “a prequel with a young Sully.” The demand is REALLY hot over here. Naughty Dog just wanted to pay their voice actor a tribute, and the gamers are like ‘cool very cool but when is our next adventure?’
What is making it fantastic is the fact that every player has personal connections to Sully and they are really different but at the same time feel pretty much the same. Austin Way put it very well “Sully’s warmth and wit made exploring with Nathan feel like hanging with an ol’ buddy” or in other words, that’s how one goes through hard times. That interaction between Nate and Sully was not just a background noise but rather the emotional core that made you really care about the characters. If Sully showed up, you knew that things would get interesting but also somehow safer?? Even though they were usually facing lethal danger.
There are people in the comments calling Richard McGonagle a “legend” and “Victor Goddamn Sullivan” which is a term that has become a symbol of their unity. Rich8606 even shared a video clip saying “Best line delivery ever” and, like, can you argue against that? The raspy voice is hilarious while simultaneously shooting bad guys and cracking jokes – that is just perfect character development in the gaming world.
Some of the replies were quite outrageous – one user asked if he had a connection with Harry Potter simply because “y’a une institutrice qui a le même nom” which translates to “there’s a teacher who has the same name.” Pretty weird, huh? On the contrary, someone said, “He is more like my granddad” which is, to be honest, a vibe. Sully is still that protective grandfather figure even when he is trafficking relics.
What astonishes me the most is the enormous number of people that are actually rewiring the games. Arovian has lately been “working on playing all the Uncharted games with platinum trophy” and just completed 1-2 and is now on the third one. It is the magic of this series – even after so many years, people are still going back to have a hundred percent experience of these adventures. The characters stay with you in such a way that you want to go back and revisit that world.
And the media that people are sharing?? DomTheBomb shared a birthday gif, Chickadeus made a whole video tribute, BlueDemon23 produced fan art – the creativity is astonishing. It is not merely a birthday wish; it is a huge character celebration that has been important to so many players over the years.
The enormous amount of “happy birthday” messages along with the demands for new content and personal stories about the games played… this forms an oddly beautiful yet very clear illusion about the gaming community. We all belong here because of the love we had for the characters and their relationships, Richard McGonagle’s Sully is a big reason why that bond felt so real.
It is funny how just a birthday tweet can bring up all these memories and feelings. That is what good character writing and acting do – they pull the player to the character even after the controls have been released. Whether you are playing for the platinum trophies or just remembering the first time you went through the series, Sully is still that reliable character amidst Nate’s chaos. And Richard McGonagle was able to create him in such a way that it sounds… human. Flawed, funny, and essentially good despite the very wrong life decisions.
So, happy birthday to the man who brought life to the mustache, the cigars, and one of the most famous gaming daddies. Let us all hope that Sully’s adventures are not over yet, be it in the form of new games or during our replay times on PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
