What can replace 'Uncharted 4' in 2015?

With "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" dropping out of the PlayStation 4's 2015 release calendar, there's a significant gap in Sony's first-party schedule and an opportunity for the Xbox One to take advantage.

Of the PS4's console exclusives that have a chance of releasing later this year, philosophically-themed puzzler "The Talos Principle," carefully crafted dementia adventure "Ether One," survival challenge "The Forest," enthusiastic action movie homage "Broforce" and Sony's own zombie apocalypse sandbox "H1Z1" are already available on PC.

Come their intended PS4 release, each would be able to find an expanded audience on the Sony console. None, though, have the draw of a triple-A, globally marketed blockbuster title like "Uncharted 4" -- or the Xbox One's "Halo 5: Guardians" and "Forza Motorsport 5."

No Man's Sky? Procedurally-generated interplanetary exploration game "No Man's Sky" has been surfing a wave of fan excitement since its initial announcement in December 2013.

Even if a mooted October 2015 date had at one time been true, Sony might still prefer to wait for simultaneous release alongside the Project Morpheus VR headset in early 2016.

Uncharted remastered So if there's no "Uncharted 4" by the end of the year, could we still see remastered versions of Uncharted 1, 2 and 3? Perhaps even early PlayStation Vita game "Uncharted: Golden Abyss"?

It's certainly not out of the question. Naughty Dog's 2013 tour-de-force, "The Last of Us," made its way over in similar fashion, re-released a year later on PS4, especially well suited to those that hadn't played much PS3. The same holds true for "Uncharted," and, though not the same as a full blown follow-up, an Uncharted Trilogy could raise its status with early access to "Uncharted 4" multiplayer beta, just as "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" had done in 2014.

But a box set would have to be well underway by now, unannounced but already scheduled for release at or around the same time "Uncharted 4" was due in November.

Past performance Sony has already weathered one holiday season without a traditional action game -- 2014 saw a generally underwhelming "The Order: 1886" deferred until February 2015, leaving "LittleBigPlanet 3" and the troubled "DriveClub" to fly the flag. Unusually, but perhaps not coincidentally, the Xbox One outsold the PlayStation 4 in November and December.

Smart partnerships with the publishers of key multiplatform titles -- "Assassin's Creed: Victory," for example -- an emphasis on diverse, polished indie game experiences, strong sales the rest of the year and a public campaign to broaden the PS4's appeal as a media streaming device could help soften the blow.