Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Co-Director and Naughty Dog President, Neil Druckmann, has revealed that the upcoming sci-fi game could turn out to be "maybe the most expensive" production in the studio's history. Over the course of its existence, the Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet developer has released multiple big-budget AAA games, from The Last of Us Part 2 to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
At The Game Awards in December 2024, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was unveiled by Naughty Dog, which was also the first time the award-winning studio became associated with a new original IP in over a decade. The reveal trailer showed glimpses of Jordan A. Mun, the protagonist, alongside the game's distinct '80s-inspired theme. From the get-go, Druckmann has been describing the game in superlatives, calling its narrative "the wildest" and "the most creative" one conceived by the team in his initial announcement. Most recently, he has added a few more descriptors to this list, offering further excitement for anticipating fans.
Intergalactic Might Just Be the End of a Double-Edged Naughty Dog Game Trope
Naughty Dog's upcoming title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, may be moving away from one of the studio's previously most-used designs.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet May Top the List of Naughty Dog's Biggest Game Budgets
In an interview with Variety, Neil Druckmann provided an encouraging update on his next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, sharing that he and his team were "in the thick of it." He revealed that at least some part of the game was in a playable state, saying, "We’re making it, we’re playing it." Reiterating his opinion of Intergalactic being Naughty Dog's most ambitious undertaking yet, Druckmann continued that it was also "the most expansive" and would possibly become "the most expensive" title in the American studio's history by the end of its development.
Moreover, Druckmann made another hype-inspiring statement about the in-development project, claiming that what fans have seen so far "doesn’t even scratch the surface" of the game's core. The veteran confessed his anxiousness to share more about the title, but then quickly shot down any chances of an Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet trailer dropping anytime soon. To be more precise, he suggested that there was more time needed to coordinate such a new showing for the game and that it would be "foolish" to commit to something like that for the immediate future.
At present, The Last of Us Part 2 is understood to be Naughty Dog's most expensive title, costing the developer more than $220 million over a span of around six years. While it may be a high bar to clear, rising AAA game development costs, combined with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet's star-studded cast and licensed music, bring that eye-watering budget well within the game's reach. That being said, how much more the PlayStation first-party studio will exactly spend this time around is expected to remain a secret, as companies don't usually make this sort of information available to the public.
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
Intergalactic: The Heretic Propher follows Jordan A. Mun, a dangerous bounty hunter who ends up stranded on Sempiria – a distant planet whose communication with the outside universe went dark hundreds of years ago. In fact, anyone who’s flown to it hoping to unravel its mysterious past was never heard from again. Jordan will have to use all her skills and wits if she hopes to be the first person in over 600 years to leave its orbit.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
