Neil Druckmann Aims to Make New Game 'Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet' Confusing and Disorienting

Neil Druckmann, the visionary director behind The Last of Us, has provided an intriguing glimpse into Naughty Dog's next project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a revealing interview with Alex Garland, the acclaimed writer of the zombie film 28 Days Later, Druckmann shared that the game has been in development for four years.

Druckmann humorously reflected on the polarizing reception of The Last of Us 2, 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?" Druckmann agreed, adding, "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 Screenshots

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Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is set in an alternate historical timeline and revolves around a "pretty prominent religion" that has undergone significant transformation over time. The game stars Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle, who must navigate this complex world to become the first person in centuries to leave its orbit.

Druckmann teased the game's setting, saying, "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 to isolation, stating, "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."

Last week, The Last of Us Season 2 showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin confirmed that "spores are back" after their absence in Season 1. The latest trailer for the upcoming HBO series hinted at the reintroduction of spores. Speaking at SXSW 2025, Druckmann elaborated, "There is an escalation of numbers and types of infected, but also, as you see in the trailer, an escalation of the vector of how this thing spreads."

He further explained, "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form. And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air."

In other news related to The Last of Us Season 2, actress Kaitlyn Dever discussed playing Abby, admitting she finds it challenging to resist checking online reactions to her performance.