Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Reportedly Won’t Make 2026, Neil Druckmann Tells IGN ‘We Are Playing It at the Office and It's Incredible’

As fans eagerly await the release of *The Witcher 4*, they'll have to exercise similar patience for Naughty Dog's newly announced game, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier on ResetEra, neither title will hit the shelves next year. This means *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* is slated for a release no earlier than 2027, mirroring the timeline for *The Witcher 4*. Both games will likely spark discussions about their target platforms—whether they'll be designed for the PlayStation 5, the anticipated PlayStation 6, or as cross-gen titles.

If *Intergalactic* launches directly on the PS6, Naughty Dog might bypass the PS5 generation entirely for new releases. So far, the studio has focused on ports, remasters, and remakes for Sony's current 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, boasting a star-studded cast. Tati Gabrielle, known from the *Uncharted* movie, stars as protagonist Jordan A. Mun, while Kumail Nanjiani from *Marvel's Eternals* plays Colin Graves. Fans have dissected the trailer to identify additional cast members, with a crew photo hinting at more characters.

Earlier this month, *The Last of Us* director Neil Druckmann shared further insights into *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. In an interview with Alex Garland, the writer behind the zombie film *28 Days Later*, Druckmann discussed the game's development, revealing it has been in the works for four years. He humorously reflected on the backlash received for *The Last of Us Part II*, noting, "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 responded lightheartedly, "Who gives a shit?" to which Druckmann agreed, adding, "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."

*Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* is set in an alternate historical timeline and revolves around 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." He emphasized the game's unique approach, stating, "So many of the previous games we've done, there's always, like, an ally with you. 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. 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, and considering Druckmann's mention of four years of development so far, the game will have been in production for six years by its release. While the wait is lengthy, Druckmann shared an optimistic update with IGN at the premiere of *The Last of Us Season 2*, 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."