Naughty Dog blew the roof off the 2024 Game Awards by closing the show with a reveal of its brand-new IP. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is real and we already know a great deal about what to expect.
It’s been a whopping 11 years since Naughty Dog developed a new IP. Since 2013, it’s been all in on The Last of Us and Uncharted, but now, that’s finally changing as plans are in motion for something entirely new.
Kept a secret all this time, it wasn’t until the closing moments of the 2024 Game Awards that Naughty Dog’s new project came into focus. Intergalactic: The Heretic Project is next up from the legendary studio, and it thrusts players far into the future for an ambitious sci-fi adventure.
From the cast to the earliest gameplay details, we already know plenty about what’s in store. So to get you up to speed, here’s a comprehensive look at the next Naughty Dog game.
Does Intergalactic have a release date yet?
No, Naughty Dog’s next game currently doesn’t have a release date or even a rough release window.
We first caught wind of Intergalactic back in February, 2024, when Sony filed a trademark for the title. Despite that, we know Intergalactic has been in active development since 2020, as Studio Head Neil Druckmann soon confirmed in a follow-up blog post. Now, it’s anyone’s guess just how far along the game is, as a number of those years could have been lighter work in the conceptual stage.
As a result, it’d be wise not to hold your breath on an imminent release for this one. The fact no release year was even targeted could mean it’s as far off as late 2026 or some stage in 2027. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with any further developments in this regard.
What is the game about? Story details
Intergalactic follows Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter who may have made a fatal mistake and permanently trapped herself on the planet of Sempiria. It’s set in an alternate universe where technology is far more advanced than our own.
While tracking down a target affiliated with a criminal gang known as The Five Aces, Jordan follows a lead to a Sempirian moon, against the warnings of her advisor AJ.
It appears Jordan has a history with this criminal group, as a picture on her wall shows the crew celebration a heist of some sort, drinking over stacks of money.
Sempirian is a unique location, however, as this planet is deeply ominous. Communication “went dark hundreds of years ago,” as the PlayStation blog revealed.
“Anyone who’s flown to it hoping to unravel its mysterious past was never heard from again,” Druckmann outlined. Brushing off these warnings as mere “superstition,” the desperate Jordan flies ahead to carry out her plan, and the next we see, she’s battling ancient Sempirian forces in up-close combat.
No one has made it off the planet alive in over 600 years, and Jordan is looking to break that cycle in what Druckmann has promised is another “emotional, character-driven epic.”
Little is known about the planet or its inhabitants; however, we know they have their own dialect. Not only is it displayed at the beginning of the trailer, but it’s inscribed on their bodies, too.
For now, it’s impossible to decode, though the opening message conveys a threat: “The suffering of generations must be endured to achieve our divine end,” ancient Sempirian text from 1986 reads. This implies they’re a vastly intelligent species hell-bent on executing their will over millennia, seemingly akin to the Reapers in Mass Effect.
In speaking with the New York Times, Druckmann also teased religion is at the core of Intergalactic. The game’s narrative “centers on a fictitious religion and what happens when you put your faith in different institutions.”
Beyond that, we have little else to go off for now. Though a song Jordan played near the end of the trailer may hint at her own backstory. It’s a Sin from the Pet Shot Boys blasts through her ship’s speakers to end the first look, and its lyrics paint a picture of regret.
“When I look back upon my life, it’s always with a sense of shame. I’ve always been the one to blame, for everything I long to do.”
Who’s in it? Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet cast
While it’s early days yet, we already have a few names and a few confirmed cast members for Naughty Dog’s next game.
Our protagonist, Jordan, is brought to life by Tati Gabrielle, an actress who just so happens to have a history with Naughty Dog. Gabrielle portrayed Jo Braddock, a villain in the 2022 Uncharted movie. Not only that, she’s also set to play Nora in HBO’s second season of The Last of Us.
No other cast members have been explicitly confirmed, though the trailer made it obvious that Eternals and Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani plays a vital role, seemingly as one of the game’s antagonists. His character goes by the name of Colin Graves and is associated with the aforementioned criminal group The Five Aces. He’s the bounty target Jordan is chasing before she’s entrapped on Sempiria.
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We also hear from Jordan’s one-eyed advisor, who goes by the name of AJ. She pleads with her friend not to take the risk on this bounty, arguing Graves is “not worth it.” This role appears to be taken on by writer Halley Gross, who collaborated closely with Druckmann on The Last of Us Part 2.
Pausing the trailer when it scans across Jordan’s pin board also gives us a few more identities. In particular, we see Better Call Saul’s Tony Dalton in the middle of the table, implying he’s the leader of the Five Aces.
To his left is Stephen A. Chang, an American actor who portrayed Jesse in The Last of Us Part 2.
Beyond that, an earlier interview with GQ also confirmed Troy Baker will work with Naughty Dog once more. Details surrounding his particular role are unclear for now, but he doesn’t appear to be part of the Five Aces.
The full list of characters and cast members is as follows:
- Jordan A. Mun – Tati Gabrielle
- Colin Graves – Kumail Nanjiani
- AJ – Halley Gross
- Unknown – Tony Dalton
- Unknown – Stephen A. Chang
- Troy Baker – Unkown
Beyond that, crawling over the hidden details reveals potential names for the remaining members of The Five Aces.
These possible characters are the following, though bear in mind Jordan herself is unsure:
- Cesar Maceda
- Tyrin Dustsmith
- Etienne Renarde
- Atticus Vasileon
- Randall Stevens
What platforms will it be on?
In a blink and you’ll miss it moment, the game’s first trailer confirmed it’s coming to PS5.
As mentioned above, the game has been in the works for four years already, meaning it’s been built from the ground up with the latest PlayStation hardware in mind.
At the time of writing, there’s no word on any possible PC launch, though as with most PlayStation Studios games of late, it’s sure to follow a year or so after the console version goes out.
Gameplay details
Nothing has yet been confirmed in the way of gameplay, though Druckmann has assured it’s Naughty Dog’s “deepest” gameplay experience yet, “taking our learnings from our previous franchises and pushing them beyond anything we’ve ever done before.”
For starters, it appears to be another third-person game, though this time with more of an emphasis on melee combat, given Jordan’s vibrant hand-to-hand weapon seen near the end.
While melee was certainly the focus, Naughty Dog doesn’t appear to be leaving its roots behind entirely. Earlier in the trailer we see Jordan pick up a weapon, looking to be a submachine gun of sorts. So we can still expect some classic third-person shooting action from the masters, though with more of a sci-fi flair, this go around.
Moreover, it looks as though exploration, both on foot and in orbit, could play a big role. Multiple times we saw the camera pivot to just behind Jordan’s spaceship, indicating players can assume control and voyage through the star system.
Soundtrack helmed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
The inimitable duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are teaming up once again for Intergalactic. Having score dozens of acclaimed movies over the years, including the likes of The Social Network, Gone Girl, and more recently, the award-winning Challengers, the duo will be tackling its biggest video game production to date.
We got our first taste of the score during the reveal trailer, though there’s sure to be plenty more on the way.
Intergalactic trailer
The debut trailer for Intergalact premiered on December 12, 2024, during the Game Awards. It closed the show as the final big surprise for the night.
Our first look comes in at four minutes and 33 seconds, consisting solely of in-ending footage, teasing the blend of cinematics and gameplay Naughty Dog has become known for.
For now, that’s everything we know about Naughty Dog’s next game, Intergalactic. Given that it’s only just been revealed, we’ll learn a great deal more in the coming months, so check back often as we’ll update you here with all the latest details.
