Naughty Dog Confirms Second Unannounced Game, Not Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

Neil Druckmann, the chief of Naughty Dog, recently unveiled that the studio is secretly developing another game alongside the announced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In an interview with the Press X to Continue podcast, Druckmann shed light on his varied roles within the Sony-owned studio. For Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, he collaborates with game directors Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau, and co-writes the narrative with Claire Carré. However, he did not disclose the director assigned to the second mystery project.

Druckmann described his role in the unannounced game as more of a producer, where he mentors the team, provides feedback, and acts as an executive. He expressed his enthusiasm for juggling multiple roles, stating, "I enjoy all those roles, and the fact I jump between one to the next, it makes my job very exciting and always feeling fresh. I’m never bored."

While Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is known to be in development, the stage of both projects remains undisclosed. Speculation abounds regarding the nature of the second game. Could it be The Last of Us 3? Druckmann has previously voiced uncertainty about continuing the series, though he has an ending in mind. Given his producer role on the mystery game, it seems less likely to be The Last of Us 3, as one would expect him to take a more hands-on directing role for such a significant sequel.

Another possibility is a new Uncharted game, considering the last mainline entry was The Lost Legacy in 2017. Alternatively, Naughty Dog might be crafting a new intellectual property, similar to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

It's important to note that there's no guarantee this second game will see the light of day or be officially announced by Sony. Naughty Dog has faced challenges in recent years, including the cancellation of The Last of Us Online in December 2023. The studio decided to focus on single-player experiences rather than dedicating resources to ongoing live service content.

Historically, Naughty Dog has struggled with simultaneous development of multiple major titles, often prioritizing one over the other. The studio's most recent new release was The Last of Us 2 in 2020, followed by remakes and collections.

As for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, it boasts a star-studded cast including Tati Gabrielle from the Uncharted movie as the protagonist Jordan A. Mun, and Kumail Nanjiani of Marvel's Eternals as Colin Graves. The game is not expected to launch before 2027, but Druckmann, speaking to IGN ahead of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere, shared his excitement about its current state. He teased, "I will say we are playing it at the office and it's incredible. It's really good. I'm so excited to finally put gameplay out into the world and show people about it, because we just showed you the very, very, very tip on the iceberg. The game goes pretty deep beyond that."