Neil Druckmann, the visionary director behind The Last of Us, has recently shed light on Naughty Dog's ambitious new project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a revealing interview with acclaimed writer Alex Garland, known for the iconic zombie film 28 Days Later, Druckmann discussed the four-year journey of developing this intriguing new game.
Druckmann humorously reflected on the creative choices made during The Last of Us 2, which stirred a mix of strong reactions from fans. He noted, "I joke about this with the team. 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." Garland's light-hearted response, "Who gives a shit?" prompted Druckmann to add, "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 introduces players to an alternate historical timeline, featuring a deeply rooted religion that has evolved dramatically over time. The protagonist, portrayed by Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle, faces the daunting challenge of escaping the planet's orbit, a feat not achieved in centuries.
Druckmann teased the game's setting, 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 game's focus on isolation and mystery, noting, "So many of the previous games we've done, there's always, like, an ally with you. 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, Druckmann and co-showrunner Craig Mazin confirmed that "spores are back" in The Last of Us Season 2, following their absence in the first season. Speaking at SXSW 2025, Druckmann teased an escalation in the show's infected elements, stating, "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, set to portray Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, discussed the challenges of her role and her struggle to avoid online reactions to her performance.
