'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' Release Date: Game Features Better Facial Animation; Launch Set for 2016

Originally scheduled for release during this year's holiday season, the exclusive PlayStation 4 game "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" has its release date pushed to 2016.

Sony said the game will feature better facial animation, thanks to the 300 to 500 digital bones placed into the characters' faces in the game.

This huge number of digital "bones" basically allows the developers Naughty Dog to improve the facial expressions that characters can make. This means that players will get to see a larger number of expressions made by actors finding their way into the game.

Lead designer for "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" Ricky Cambier said he and his team have been improving "detail on a macro and micro level" when it comes to facial expressions, adding that people would really like what they see.

In the previous "Uncharted 3," the digital bones numbered between 90 and 100. They allowed for the capture of the actors' expressions. This initial achievement was hailed by critics. Now Naughty Dog plans to make even better improvements.

The developer said it planned to release "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" with a frame rate of 60 fps. Right now the demo version of the game runs at 30 fps.

With the game only landing in 2016, rumors circulated that Sony was planning to release a remastered edition of the Uncharted Trilogy for the PlayStation 4 this year. These rumors were subsequently debunked. But this did not stop online speculations that Sony is planning to release the remastered trilogy just like it did with "The Last of Us."

With the delayed release of "Uncharted 4," Sony has turned gamers' attention towards other games like "Tearaway" and "No Man's Sky."

Microsoft, on the other hand, is coming out with a number of Xbox One and Xbox 360 exclusives this holiday season. They include "Halo 5: Guardians," "Forza Motorsport 6" and "Rise of the Tomb Raider."