Naughty Dog's New Game Delayed Beyond 2026

With The Witcher 4 now expected in 2027, Naughty Dog's recently announced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet appears to be on a similar timeline.

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier noted on ResetEra that neither The Witcher 4 nor Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will launch next year.

This places the earliest possible release for Intergalactic in 2027, raising similar questions about its target platform. Will it launch on the PlayStation 5, the inevitable PlayStation 6, or is it most likely destined to be a cross-generation title?

If Intergalactic skips PS5 entirely for a PS6 release, Naughty Dog would effectively have bypassed the current console generation with a brand-new IP. To date, the studio has supported PS5 with ports, remasters, and remakes such as 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.

Naughty Dog unveiled Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards 2024. It boasts a star-studded cast featuring Tati Gabrielle (from the Uncharted film) as protagonist Jordan A. Mun, and Kumail Nanjiani (Marvel's Eternals) as a character named Colin Graves.

Fans have been analyzing the trailer, piecing together clues about the rest of the cast. While the footage focuses on a few key characters, a seemingly leaked crew photo has suggested even more faces will appear.

Earlier this month, The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann shared new insights into Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

In an interview with Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later, Druckmann spoke openly about the game's development, confirming it has been in the works for four years.

"I joke about this with the team. We made a game, The Last of Us 2, where certain creative decisions attracted a lot of criticism. Many loved it, but many also hated it," Druckmann said. Garland quipped in response, "Who gives a shit?"

"Exactly," Druckmann continued. "So the joke became, let's make something people might not feel as strongly about—let's make a game exploring faith and religion."

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is set in an alternate historical timeline and features a "prominent religion" that has been "changed, bastardized, and evolved" over centuries.

"This entire religion is confined to a single planet. Then, all communication from that world suddenly ceases," Druckmann teased. "You play as a bounty hunter pursuing a target, who crash-lands on this mysterious planet."

"In many of our previous games, you always have a companion with you," he explained. "This time, I really want you to feel lost in a place where you're utterly confused—what happened here, who were these people, what is their history? To have any hope of escaping a planet that has been silent for about 600 years, you must uncover its secrets."

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Screenshots

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Assuming a 2027 release and considering Druckmann's comment about four years of development already, the game will have been in production for approximately six years by launch.

It's a substantial wait, but Druckmann offered promising news on the red carpet ahead of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere, telling IGN the game is not just playable but "really good."

"We are playing it at the office and it's incredible," Druckmann hinted. "It's really good. I'm thrilled to finally show gameplay and reveal more to everyone, because what we've shown so far is just the very tip of the iceberg. The game goes much deeper than that."