Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Delayed Beyond 2026, Says Neil Druckmann

With the wait for *The Witcher 4* set to extend into 2027, fans of Naughty Dog's newly announced *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* are facing a similar timeline. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed on ResetEra that neither *The Witcher 4* nor *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* will see a release next year, pushing *Intergalactic* to a 2027 launch at the earliest. This delay raises questions about whether the game will target the PlayStation 5, the upcoming PlayStation 6, or perhaps be designed as a cross-gen title.

If *Intergalactic* opts for a direct release on the PS6, Naughty Dog would effectively skip the PS5 generation for new titles. So far, the studio has focused on ports, remasters, and remakes for the 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*.

*Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* was unveiled at The Game Awards 2024, boasting a star-studded cast with Tati Gabrielle from the *Uncharted* movie as protagonist Jordan A. Mun, and Kumail Nanjiani of *Marvel's Eternals* as Colin Graves. Fans have meticulously analyzed 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 of the zombie movie *28 Days Later*, Druckmann discussed the game's development, revealing that *Intergalactic* has been in the works for four years. He humorously reflected on the backlash received for *The Last of Us Part II*, stating, "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."

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." He emphasized the game's unique approach, saying, "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 development for six years by its release. While the wait is long, 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."