With fans eagerly awaiting *The Witcher 4*, they'll need to hold on a bit longer as its release is slated for 2027. Similarly, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*, recently unveiled by Naughty Dog, is also set to launch in 2027 at the earliest. According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier's comments on ResetEra, neither game will hit the market next year. This delay raises questions about whether *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* will target the PlayStation 5, the upcoming PlayStation 6, or perhaps be designed as a cross-gen title.
If *Intergalactic* skips directly to the PS6, it means Naughty Dog would miss out on releasing a brand-new game on the PS5. So far, the studio has only provided ports, remasters, and remakes for 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*.
*Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* was introduced at The Game Awards 2024, boasting an impressive cast with Tati Gabrielle from the *Uncharted* movie as the protagonist Jordan A. Mun, and Kumail Nanjiani of *Marvel's Eternals* as Colin Graves. Fans have dissected the trailer, uncovering more about the cast and a crew photo that suggests a broader ensemble.
Earlier this month, *The Last of Us* director Neil Druckmann shared insights about *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 it has been in the works for four years. He humorously remarked on the backlash received for certain creative choices in *The Last of Us Part II*, saying, "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," to which Garland responded with a nonchalant, "Who gives a shit?" Druckmann added, "Exactly. 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 and features 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 further explained the game's unique approach: "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
4 Images
Assuming *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* launches in 2027, and considering Druckmann's statement that it has been in development for four years, the game will have been in production for six years by the time it hits the shelves. While the wait is considerable, Druckmann's excitement is palpable. Speaking to IGN at the red carpet event for *The Last of Us Season 2* premiere, he revealed, "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."
