I’m Sad Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Continues the Trend Naughty Dog Started With Last of Us

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Few people predicted the release of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. After Naughty Dog cancelled The Last of Us Factions 2, a planned live service game, many thought the studio would pause development for a while. However, Naughty Dog’s creative director, Neil Druckmann, had a big announcement. Last year, at The Game Awards 2024, the trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was revealed, and it immediately impressed everyone.

We haven’t heard much about Intergalactic recently, and it doesn’t look like that will change in 2025, despite some false reports. It appears Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is still over a year away from release, continuing a pattern we’ve seen with Naughty Dog games on PlayStation. I had hoped Naughty Dog could change this trend, but given how long game development takes, it’s unlikely.

Intergalactic Will Be One of the Last PS5 Games

With Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet not expected until 2027 or later, Naughty Dog’s next game will likely be among the last released for the PlayStation 5. It could even be available on both PS5 and the next-generation PlayStation 6. However, Sony will almost certainly want Naughty Dog to continue supporting the PS5, so the game will definitely be designed for current hardware and won’t leave PS5 owners behind.

As a big fan of Naughty Dog, I was really hoping they’d break a pattern with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. It’s awesome the game is a PlayStation 5 exclusive and good for Sony, but I’ve noticed their biggest hits, like The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, always come out near the end of a console generation. It made me wonder how much further they could have pushed those games on better hardware. Seeing Intergalactic as the last PS5 exclusive feels like that same thing is happening again – I wish it was a PS6 launch title instead!

As a fan, I’ve noticed something interesting about when Sony releases its big exclusives. It actually seems smart to wait a bit! By being one of the last games to come out on a console, you know almost everyone who owns that system will be eager to play it. We saw this with The Last of Us on PS3 and then The Last of Us Part 2 on PS4 – both were massive hits and sold incredibly well, and I think being released later in the console’s life really helped with that.

The Last of Us Series Sales Numbers on Launch Platform

  • The Last of Us: 12.7 Million (PS3)
  • The Last of Us Part Two: +10 Million (PS4)

Another key advantage is that developers eventually master a console’s capabilities over its lifespan. Launch titles are often impressive, but later games tend to be more polished and stable. For example, The Last of Us and Part Two still look fantastic, even compared to newer games released on more powerful consoles years later.

I’m really eager to see what Naughty Dog can create with the latest gaming technology, even if focusing on graphical power isn’t everyone’s priority. Their games always look incredible when they first release, and I can only imagine how amazing they’d be on the next-generation console. That’s why I was hoping Naughty Dog would take on a completely new project like Intergalactic – it’s been over ten years since they’ve created a brand new game world, and that’s incredibly exciting.

When Will The PlayStation 6 Release?

While we don’t know exactly when the PlayStation 6 will be released, most predictions point to late 2027 or mid-2028. This would follow the typical 7-year pattern between PlayStation console generations, like the gap between the PS4 and PS5. If everything goes according to plan, the game Intergalactic might be playable on the PS6 when it launches, but it will have been originally created for other platforms.

A future version of Intergalactic for the PS6 will almost certainly look even more impressive than the PS5 version. However, releasing the game exclusively for a future console doesn’t make sense. Even if Intergalactic doesn’t come out until 2028, Sony wouldn’t want to exclude the more than 84 million players who already own a PS5.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Looks Amazing

Although it would have been incredible to see Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet developed for the PlayStation 6, I’m still really looking forward to Naughty Dog’s new game. It’s the studio’s first original creation since 2013, and with Neil Druckmann leading the project, expectations are very high. I’m more eager to see what Druckmann can do with Intergalactic than another Last of Us game. He clearly has a lot of faith in this new project, as he’s stepped away from his work on The Last of Us TV series to focus on it.

It’s still unclear when we’ll see more of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. A rumor suggested a reveal at The Game Awards 2025 next month, but that’s not true. Reports also claiming a 2026 release have been debunked. Some fans are jokingly suggesting it might not come out until the PlayStation 6, even if that means it’s released across two console generations. For now, fans will just have to be patient and wait for an official announcement.

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2025-11-27 14:06