"Naughty Dog's Intergalactic Delayed Past 2026, Druckmann Says 'It's Incredible'"

With fans eagerly awaiting The Witcher 4, it seems they'll have to keep their patience intact until at least 2027. Similarly, Naughty Dog's newly unveiled Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is set to follow suit, as Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed on ResetEra that neither title will hit the shelves next year. This means Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is slated for a 2027 release at the earliest, sparking discussions about its targeted platforms—whether it will aim for the PlayStation 5, the upcoming PlayStation 6, or perhaps serve as a cross-generational title.

If Intergalactic launches directly on the PS6, Naughty Dog would essentially bypass the PS5 generation for new games. To date, the studio has only delivered ports, remasters, and remakes on Sony's current-generation 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 introduced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards 2024, showcasing a star-studded cast led by Tati Gabrielle from the Uncharted movie as protagonist Jordan A. Mun, alongside Kumail Nanjiani of Marvel's Eternals portraying Colin Graves. Fans have meticulously analyzed the trailer, piecing together additional cast members from a crew photo featured within it.

Earlier this month, Neil Druckmann, the director behind The Last of Us, provided further insights into Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In an interview with Alex Garland, the writer of the zombie film 28 Days Later, Druckmann openly discussed the game's development, revealing that Intergalactic has been in the works for four years. Reflecting on past projects, Druckmann humorously noted the polarizing reception to The Last of Us 2, saying, "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 unfolds in an alternate historical timeline, featuring 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 substantial, Druckmann shared with IGN at the red carpet event for The Last of Us Season 2 premiere that the game is not only playable but "really good." He enthused, "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."