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 is set to start a new franchise for Naughty Dog, marking its first original story since The Last of Us (2013).
Development began in 2020 after the release of The Last of Us Part II, and is led by creative director Neil Druckmann, game directors Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau, and narrative director Claire Carré. Druckmann assembled a writers' room for the narrative, for which thousands of years of fictional history was written. The story is centered on a fictional religion and includes science fiction elements, taking inspiration from several anime. Its score is composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Premise
Intergalactic: 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] Veteran bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun becomes stranded on a remote planet, Sempiria, while tracking the legendary "Five 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
Development of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is led by creative director Neil Druckmann (left) and game directors Matthew Gallant (center) and Kurt Margenau (right).[8]
Naughty Dog began developing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet for the PlayStation 5 after The Last of Us Part II's release in 2020.[5][9]Neil Druckmann leads the 250-person team as creative director and writer,[1] alongside game directors Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau[8][10] and narrative director Claire Carré.[11]Intergalactic is set to start a new franchise for Naughty Dog,[10] marking its first original story since The Last of Us (2013).[1] Druckmann considered it the studio's most expansive and ambitious game, and likely its most expensive.[12] The score is composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross,[5] the former's first full video game soundtrack since Quake (1996).[13]
Druckmann revealed he was working on a new game at Summer Game Fest in June 2022,[14] and later said he was assembling a writers' room to be "structured more like a TV show" than Naughty Dog's previous projects.[15] The 2023 decision to cancel The Last of Us Online's development was partly to avoid withholding resources from Intergalactic.[16] Druckmann felt Gallant, Margenau, and Carré "stepped up" during development to allow him to work on the television adaptation of The Last of Us; he stepped away from his creative duties on the series in July 2025, ahead of the third season, to focus on Intergalactic.[17]
The story explores "what happens when you put your faith in different institutions", according to Druckmann.[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] Applying techniques learned in creating Uncharted and The Last of Us, the developers sought to expand upon gameplay elements[12] and use action and genre to "hide" a personal, philosophical narrative without the constraints of grounded reality;[18] Druckmann felt the lack of groundedness made the science fiction genre more difficult. The narrative outline and concepts were written long before specific story elements as the team focused on prototyping gameplay;[12] they 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. She previously 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] Druckmann pitched her the story after she was cast in the latter, and she auditioned alongside Troy Baker;[12] Druckmann considered her a standout during the casting process, comparing her audition to Ashley Johnson's for The Last of Us's Ellie.[1] He said she has influenced his writing of the character.[12] A spiritual person, Gabrielle was drawn to Intergalactic due to its focus on faith.[19][20]
Halley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us PartII, portrays AJ, Jordan's agent.[21][22] Members of the Five Aces include Colin Graves (portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani)[1][4] and other members played by Tony Dalton, Ashley Scott, and Stephen A. Chang.[22][23] Dalton was cast after appearing in an episode of The Last of Us directed by Druckmann, who offered him the role immediately after showing him parts of the game on Zoom,[12][24] while Scott portrayed Maria in The Last of Us and PartII and Chang played Jesse in the latter.[23] Troy Baker has been cast in an undisclosed role;[25][26] Druckmann enjoyed working with him again after a five-year gap since his role as Joel in The Last of Us PartII.[12]
Promotion
Sony Interactive Entertainment trademarked Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet in February 2024.[27] Naughty Dog revealed the game at the Game Awards on December 12, 2024, alongside its first trailer,[28] which Druckmann felt "doesn't even scratch the surface" of its content.[12] The trailer depicts Jordan watching anime, listening to 1980s music on a Sony CD player, flying a Porsche spaceship, and wearing Adidas sneakers.[1][6][29] Druckmann spent time searching for an appropriate 1980s song about faith to use in the trailer, eventually selecting "It's a Sin" by the Pet Shop Boys.[30] Some studios approached Naughty Dog after the trailer to discuss adaptations and partnerships, though Druckmann preferred to focus on the game before expanding its universe.[12] In March 2025, he said the team "still have a ways to go" with development.[2] Jordan's jacket was added as a skin for Ellie in The Last of Us Part II Remastered on April 3, 2025.[31]
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