Neil Druckmann, the director behind the critically acclaimed The Last of Us, recently shed light on Naughty Dog's next project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a fascinating interview with Alex Garland, known for his work on the zombie film 28 Days Later, Druckmann discussed the four-year development journey of this new game.

Reflecting on past projects, Druckmann humorously noted the polarizing reception to The Last of Us 2. "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," he shared. Garland's light-hearted response, "Who gives a shit?" prompted Druckmann to reveal the lighter tone they're aiming for with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. "Exactly," Druckmann agreed, "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, featuring Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle, unfolds in an alternate historical timeline. The narrative delves into a "pretty prominent religion" that has undergone significant transformation over time. Players will follow Jordan as she uses her skills and ingenuity to attempt a historic escape from the planet's orbit.

Druckmann teased intriguing plot details: "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 and mystery, contrasting it with Naughty Dog's previous titles. "So many of the previous games we've done, there's always, like, an ally with you," he explained. "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."

In other news, last week, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, the showrunners for The Last of Us Season 2, confirmed that "spores are back" after their absence in Season 1. At SXSW 2025, Druckmann elaborated on the upcoming HBO show's direction, stating, "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 highlighted the introduction of new infection methods, saying, "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."

Additionally, actress Kaitlyn Dever shared her experience playing Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, admitting the challenge of resisting the urge to check online reactions to her performance.