Naughty Dog is diving headfirst into new territory with its upcoming sci-fi epic Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and according to Neil Druckmann, what we’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.
The game was first revealed with a four-and-a-half-minute cinematic trailer during last year’s Game Awards, which you can watch below. It gave us a first look at protagonist and bounty hunter Jordan as he traveled to a strange alien world and faced off with a towering robotic enemy wielding a hammer-like weapon. While the teaser set the stage for the universe, it left fans with more questions than answers.
In a recent interview with Variety, Druckmann teased that the studio is pushing itself harder than ever with this project.
“I can tell you we’re in the thick of it. We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders. I’ve said this before, but I really mean it, I’m really feeling it right now: It’s the most ambitious game we’ve ever made. It’s the most expansive game we’ve ever made, maybe the most expensive, by the time we finish it.”
As exciting as that sounds, Druckmann also made it clear that the trailer we saw barely scratches the surface of what the team is building.
“I’m so antsy to show it and talk about it because the trailer that we showed doesn’t even scratch the surface of what this game actually is.
“But announcing a game like this, especially when it’s new IP, especially when it’s coming out of Naughty Dog, you’ve got to coordinate with marketing, with PR, with a bunch of people. So it’d be foolish for me to say when we’re gonna show something right now.”
We still don’t know how Intergalactic actually plays, but Druckmann has previously mentioned being inspired by Elden Ring’s approach to gameplay-driven storytelling. While he hasn’t confirmed any mechanical similarities, his comments suggest the studio is branching beyond its signature linear cinematic style.
“You could look at our previous titles and see the evolution of going from Uncharted, where we’re really cutting our teeth on realistic character-action game, third-person shooter, combined with emotional storytelling.
“With The Last of Us, we added some RPG elements, we started playing with wide linear layouts. Continue that trajectory forward, add sci-fi and you start to get the sense of what we’re doing, and then we’ve gotten even more ambitious than that.”
Intergalactic has been in development for about five years, yet Naughty Dog is keeping tight-lipped about specifics. The studio’s track record with Uncharted and The Last of Us speaks for itself, and if Druckmann’s words are anything to go by, this new adventure could be the boldest thing Naughty Dog has ever attempted.
Watch the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet below and imagine just how much more is waiting to be uncovered.
