Naughty Dog’s forthcoming sci-fi game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is the company’s “most ambitious game we’ve ever made”.
That’s according to creator Neil Druckmann, who spoke to Variety ahead of the Emmys this week – for which The Last of Us won an award.
“I can tell you we’re in the thick of it,” said Druckmann on the game’s development status. “We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders. I’ve said this before, but I really mean it, I’m really feeling it right now: It’s the most ambitious game we’ve ever made. It’s the most expansive game we’ve ever made, maybe the most expensive, by the time we finish it.”
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet – Announcement Trailer | PS5 GamesWatch on YouTube
Druckmann added he’s “antsy to show it and talk about it because the trailer that we showed doesn’t even scratch the surface of what this game actually is”, but don’t expect anything just yet.
While he wouldn’t go into detail on gameplay, Druckmann explained it continues the studio’s trajectory from Uncharted to The Last of Us, creating a realistic action game with emotional storytelling and then adding RPG elements and “wide linear layouts” – but now with sci-fi and even more ambition.
What’s more, Intergalactic may also receive some form of adaptation in the future like The Last of Us. Naughty Dog has already been approached by studios based solely on the initial trailer, but Druckmann doesn’t want to “put the cart in front of the horse”.
“This needs to be a fantastic video game first, and then if that happens and we have the right partnership, those opportunities would be great,” he said.
“But that’s not why we do what we do. So there’s a lot of ideas of what we could do with Intergalactic, and in some ways it’s easier to expand that because it’s just how that story is structured in that universe. So there’s some interesting conversations happening about potential projects that could come down in the future, but our priority right now is to make Intergalactic the next big, fantastic Naughty Dog game.”
Could a sequel to Intergalactic also be on the cards straight after its development?
“I’m sure if Intergalactic is successful, you will see it again,” he said. “Whether that will be our next game right after that, I can’t say, and I leave that door open.”
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was first revealed at The Game Awards last year (trailer above), with Tati Gabrielle in the lead role.
Earlier this year, Druckmann confirmed the studio has a second game in development too.
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