Naughty Dog's Intergalactic Delayed Past 2026, Druckmann Says 'Incredible' Playtests Ongoing

Fans of epic gaming sagas will need to exercise patience as the wait for *The Witcher 4* extends into 2027, and it seems *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* from Naughty Dog will follow suit. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on ResetEra, neither title is slated for release next year. This puts *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*'s earliest possible launch in 2027, mirroring the timeline for *The Witcher 4*. The looming question for both games is whether they'll target the PlayStation 5, the upcoming PlayStation 6, or opt for a cross-gen release.

If *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* launches directly on the PS6, Naughty Dog might find itself having bypassed the PS5 generation entirely in terms of new releases. So far, the studio has focused on ports, remasters, and remakes for the PS5, 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*.

Unveiled at The Game Awards 2024, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* boasts a star-studded cast, with Tati Gabrielle from the *Uncharted* movie playing the protagonist, Jordan A. Mun, and Kumail Nanjiani from *Marvel's Eternals* as Colin Graves. Fans have dissected the trailer, piecing together additional cast members and crew details from a glimpsed photo.

Earlier this month, Neil Druckmann, director of *The Last of Us*, provided deeper insights into *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. In a candid conversation with Alex Garland, writer of the zombie film *28 Days Later*, Druckmann revealed that the game has been in development for four years. He humorously noted the backlash from creative decisions in *The Last of Us Part II*, 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's response, "Who gives a shit?" encapsulated their shared sentiment. Druckmann then added, "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 prominent religion that has evolved significantly over time. Druckmann teased, "This whole religion takes place on this one planet, and then at one point, all communication stops." Players will assume the role of a bounty hunter who crash-lands on this mysterious planet. Unlike previous Naughty Dog games, where players often have an ally, Druckmann emphasized the solitary exploration aspect: "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, the game will have been in development for six years by that time. Despite the lengthy wait, 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."