If there is to be another Uncharted game after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, it would be “really hard” for it to star series hero Nathan Drake due to the events that transpire in this year’s entry. That’s according to co-director Neil Druckmann, who talked more about saying goodbye to Drake and the series overall in a new interview.

“We’ve been with this character for so long,” Druckmann told The Sun. “He’s at the height of his popularity, so it’s not a good business decision [to walk away from the series]. But I feel like the best way to honor him is to go out on top, to finish his story.”

Druckmann went on to point out that the Uncharted series belongs to Sony and he can’t speak for what their plans might be for the franchise after Naughty Dog moves on. However, Druckmann teased that the events of A Thief’s End might make it difficult for Nathan Drake to play a part.

“But with the end of [A Thief’s End’s] story, it will be really hard to do a sequel with Nathan Drake,” he said. “Maybe there’ll be a prequel, maybe it will be a different character, I don’t know. But this is the end for Nathan Drake.”

Be sure to read the full Sun interview for more on Druckmann’s thoughts on Uncharted 4 and more.

A Thief’s End is the final entry in the Uncharted series that creator Naughty Dog plans to develop. Previously, Uncharted 4 lead writer Josh Scherr said it’s “hard to imagine” the series moving forward without Drake in the lead role.

After another delay, Uncharted 4 is now scheduled to arrive in late April 2016 exclusively for PlayStation 4.