Neil Druckmann, the director of The Last of Us, has recently provided more insights into Naughty Dog's upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a thought-provoking interview with Alex Garland, the acclaimed writer of the zombie film 28 Days Later, Druckmann delved into the development process, revealing that Intergalactic has been in the works for four years.
Druckmann shared a light-hearted moment about the creative decisions made for The Last of Us 2, which stirred significant debate among fans. "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 remarked. Garland's response was a candid, "Who gives a shit?" To which Druckmann agreed, saying, "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 stars Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle and is set in an alternate historical timeline. The game revolves around a "pretty prominent religion" that has undergone significant transformation over time. As Jordan, players must navigate this complex world, using all her skills and wits to become the first in centuries to escape the planet's orbit.
Druckmann teased the game's narrative, 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 unique aspect of the game, where the player will feel lost and must uncover the planet's mysterious history to find a way off, a challenge not faced in previous Naughty Dog titles.
Last week, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, showrunners of The Last of Us Season 2, confirmed that "spores are back" after their absence in Season 1. At SXSW 2025, Druckmann highlighted the escalation in the show's narrative, 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 explained the introduction of new elements, such as tendrils in Season 1 and airborne spores in the latest trailer.
In other news related to The Last of Us Season 2, actress Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby, discussed the challenges of dealing with online reactions to her role, admitting it's hard not to look at the feedback on the internet.
