As fans eagerly await The Witcher 4, they'll have to extend their patience until at least 2027. The same timeline applies to Naughty Dog's newly unveiled title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier's post on ResetEra, neither game will hit the shelves in the coming year, setting their earliest possible release for 2027.

This delay raises questions about the target platforms for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Will it be designed for the PlayStation 5, the forthcoming PlayStation 6, or perhaps as a cross-gen title? If Naughty Dog opts for a direct release on the PS6, it would mean the studio has bypassed the PS5 generation for new games, having only released ports, remasters, and remakes like The Last of Us Part II, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, The Last of Us Part I, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered on the current-gen console.

Naughty Dog introduced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards 2024, spotlighting a stellar cast featuring Tati Gabrielle from the Uncharted movie as protagonist Jordan A. Mun, and Kumail Nanjiani of Marvel's Eternals as Colin Graves. Enthusiasts have scrutinized the trailer to identify additional cast members, with a photo suggesting a larger crew.

Earlier this month, The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann shared further insights into Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a candid interview with Alex Garland, the writer behind the zombie movie 28 Days Later, Druckmann revealed that the game has been in development for four years. He humorously reflected on the polarizing reception of The Last of Us 2, noting the team's desire to shift focus to a less controversial theme—faith and religion.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet unfolds in an alternate historical timeline, centered around a significant religion that has evolved over time. Druckmann teased the plot, stating, "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 unique approach to storytelling, aiming to immerse players in a world where they must unravel the mysteries of a long-lost civilization. "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."

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Screenshots

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With a projected release in 2027, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will have been in development for six years. Despite the lengthy wait, Neil Druckmann expressed optimism about the game's progress during an interview with IGN at the red carpet event for The Last of Us Season 2 premiere. "I will say we are playing it at the office and it's incredible," Druckmann enthused. "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."