Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5. Set thousands of years in the future, it follows the bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun (Tati Gabrielle) who is stranded on a remote planet searching for a crime syndicate.
| Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Naughty Dog |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Director(s) |
|
| Writer(s) | Neil Druckmann |
| Composer(s) | |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 5 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
Development began in 2020 after the release of Naughty Dog's previous game, The Last of Us Part II, and is led by creative director Neil Druckmann and game directors Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau. Its score is composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Premise
editIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is an action-adventure game set around two thousand years in the future, in an alternate universe where advanced space travel existed by 1986.[1][2] The bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun becomes stranded on the remote planet Sempiria while searching for the Fives Aces criminal syndicate.[1][3][4] For over 600 years, Sempiria has been cut off from outside contact and no one has been able to leave it. In seeking to escape, Jordan discovers information about the history of the planet and its people, and fights hostile, blade-wielding robots.[5][6][7]
Development
editNaughty Dog began developing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet for the PlayStation 5 in 2020, after the release of The Last of Us Part II ;[5][8] more than 250 Naughty Dog employees worked on the game.[1] Neil Druckmann leads development as creative director and writer, alongside co-game directors Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau.[9][10] The score is composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.[5] Druckmann revealed he was working on a new game at Summer Game Fest in June 2022,[11] and later said he was assembling a writers' room to be "structured more like a TV show" than any of Naughty Dog's previous projects.[12] Sony Interactive Entertainment trademarked the title in February 2024.[13]
Intergalactic is set to start a new franchise for Naughty Dog,[9] marking its first original story since The Last of Us (2013).[1] According to Druckmann, the story explores "what happens when you put your faith in different institutions".[1] It is centered on a fictional religion,[1] and includes science fiction elements, taking inspiration from anime like Akira (1988) and Cowboy Bebop (1998).[1] The developers created thousands of years of history for Sempiria's religion. They wanted the player to feel lost and alone, partly achieved by the lack of non-playable allies like other Naughty Dog games.[2][7]
Tati Gabrielle portrays Jordan; Druckmann considered her a standout during the casting process, comparing her audition to Ashley Johnson's for The Last of Us's Ellie. Gabrielle starred in the film Uncharted (2022) and the second season of The Last of Us (2025), both of which are adaptations of Naughty Dog franchises.[1] Halley Gross plays AJ, Jordan's agent.[14][15] Members of the Five Aces include Colin Graves (portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani)[1][4] and an unnamed member played by Tony Dalton.[15] Troy Baker has been cast in an undisclosed role.[16][17]
Promotion
editNaughty Dog revealed the game at the Game Awards on December 12, 2024, alongside its first trailer.[18] Its trailer, which features the song "It's a Sin" by the Pet Shop Boys,[19] depicts Jordan watching anime, listening to 1980s music on a Sony CD player, flying a Porsche spaceship, and wearing Adidas sneakers.[1][6][20] In March 2025, Druckmann said the team "still have a ways to go" with development.[2] Jordan's jacket is set to be added as a skin for Ellie in The Last of Us Part II Remastered on April 3, 2025.[21]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Small, Zachary (December 12, 2024). "Creator of The Last of Us Reveals New Sci-Fi Game". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c Franzese, Tomas (March 10, 2025). "Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Gets Its First Bits Of New Info From Neil Druckmann". GameSpot. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Parrish, Ash (December 13, 2024). "Naughty Dog reveals sci-fi game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Marshall, Cass (December 13, 2024). "Naughty Dog's next title revealed at The Game Awards, and it takes place in space". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c Druckmann, Neil (December 12, 2024). "Announcing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a New Franchise From Naughty Dog". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Conditt, Jessica (December 12, 2024). "Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is a new sci-fi game from Naughty Dog". Engadget. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Bardhan, Ashley (March 10, 2025). "The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about 'being lonely,' as if his zombie apocalypse wasn't isolating enough: 'I really want you to be lost'". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Dunsmore, Kevin (December 12, 2024). "Naughty Dog Announces New IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Project". Hardcore Gamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Gerblick, Jordan (December 13, 2024). "Naughty Dog's next game kicks off a new 'franchise' with a sci-fi PS5 romp packing the studio's 'wildest, most creative story' and 'deepest gameplay' yet". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Beeler-Beistad, Lauren (December 17, 2024). "Why The Last of Us 2 Fans Should Keep an Eye on Intergalactic". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on January 2, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ Cryer, Hirun (June 9, 2022). "The Last of Us director is working on an unannounced game". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ Barasch, Alex (December 26, 2022). "Can "The Last of Us" Break the Curse of Bad Video-Game Adaptations?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (February 13, 2024). "Sony Interactive Entertainment trademarks Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet in the United States [Update: Europe and Australia]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Flores, Johnny Jr. (December 14, 2024). "Naughty Dog Fans Are Already Figuring Out The Cast Of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet". TheGamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Lovely, Haiden (December 13, 2024). "All Major Actors & Cast List for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet". The Escapist. Gamurs. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ Bhatnagar, Viraaj (December 13, 2024). "Naughty Dog Reveals New Game at The Game Awards 2024". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ White, Sam (November 25, 2024). "Troy Baker digs deep: from The Last of Us to Indiana Jones". GQ. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 13, 2024). "Naughty Dog Heads to Space With Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet – The Game Awards 2024". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Richardson, Tom; Rogers, Andrew (December 13, 2024). "Game Awards 2024: Astro Bot Wins Game of the Year". BBC. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Barker, Sammy (December 13, 2024). "Intergalactic PS5 Is Naughty Dog's Wildest, Most Creative Story Yet". Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 20, 2025). "Sony Wants The Last of Us 2 Remastered PC Players to Sign Into PSN, Offers Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Skin for Ellie as an Incentive". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 20, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.