Naughty Dog's Intergalactic Delayed Past 2026, Druckmann Says 'Incredible' in Office Playtest

With the wait for *The Witcher 4* extending into 2027, it's a similar story for Naughty Dog's newly announced *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed on ResetEra that neither *The Witcher 4* nor *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* will be released next year, pushing their earliest possible launch to 2027. This delay raises questions about whether *Intergalactic* will target the PlayStation 5, the anticipated PlayStation 6, or serve as a cross-generational title. If it launches directly on the PS6, Naughty Dog risks skipping the PS5 generation for new releases, as the studio has so far only released ports, remasters, and remakes on Sony’s current-gen console, including *The Last of Us Part II*, *Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection*, *The Last of Us Part I*, and *The Last of Us Part II Remastered*.

Naughty Dog unveiled *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* at The Game Awards 2024, spotlighting a star-studded cast led by Tati Gabrielle from the *Uncharted* movie as protagonist Jordan A. Mun, and Kumail Nanjiani of *Marvel's Eternals* as Colin Graves. Fans have scrutinized the trailer to identify additional cast members, with a photo hinting at a broader crew.

Earlier this month, *The Last of Us* director Neil Druckmann shared more insights into *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. In a candid discussion with Alex Garland, the writer behind the zombie film *28 Days Later*, Druckmann revealed that *Intergalactic* has been in development for four years. Reflecting on past projects, he humorously noted, "We made a game, *The Last of Us 2*, we made certain creative decisions that got us a lot of hate. A lot of people love it, but a lot of people hate that game." Garland's response, "Who gives a shit?" encapsulated their light-hearted take on criticism. Druckmann continued, "But the joke is like, you know what, let's do something that people won't care as much about — let's make a game about faith and religion."

Set in an alternate historical timeline, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* explores a significant religion that has evolved over time. Druckmann teased, "This whole religion takes place on this one planet, and then at one point, all communication stops. And you're playing a bounty hunter that's chasing her bounty, and she crash lands on this planet." Unlike previous Naughty Dog games, where players often have an ally, *Intergalactic* aims to immerse players in a world of mystery and isolation. "I really want you to be lost in a place that you're really confused about what happened here, who are the people here, what was their history," Druckmann explained. "And in order to get off this planet — again, no one has been heard from this planet for 600 years or so — if you ever have hoped to have a chance to get off, you have to figure out what happened here."

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Screenshots

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Assuming *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* launches in 2027, it will have been in development for six years. Speaking to IGN on the red carpet at the premiere of *The Last of Us Season 2*, Druckmann shared his excitement about the game's progress, stating, "I will say we are playing it at the office and it's incredible. It's really good. I'm so excited to finally put gameplay out into the world and show people about it, because we just showed you the very, very, very tip on the iceberg. The game goes pretty deep beyond that."