Neil Druckmann, the director behind the critically acclaimed *The Last of Us*, has recently shed more light on Naughty Dog's highly anticipated new project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a candid interview with Alex Garland, the mastermind behind the zombie film *28 Days Later*, Druckmann revealed that the development of *Intergalactic* has been underway for four years.

Druckmann humorously reflected on the reception of *The Last of Us 2*, saying, "We made a game, The Last of Us 2, we made certain creative decisions that got us a lot of hate. A lot of people love it, but a lot of people hate that game." Garland responded with a light-hearted, "Who gives a shit?" Druckmann agreed, adding, "Exactly. But the joke is like, you know what, let's do something that people won't care as much about — let's make a game about faith and religion."

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Screenshots

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*Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* stars Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle and is set in an alternate historical timeline where a "pretty prominent religion" has evolved significantly over time. The game's protagonist, Jordan, must utilize all her skills and intelligence to become the first person in centuries to escape the planet's orbit.

Druckmann teased the game's plot, saying, "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 atmosphere, stating, "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."

In related news, Druckmann and Craig Mazin, showrunners for *The Last of Us* Season 2, confirmed that "spores are back" after being omitted from Season 1. Speaking at SXSW 2025, Druckmann highlighted an increase in the variety and number of infected, as well as a new vector of spread. He explained, "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form. And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air."

Additionally, actress Kaitlyn Dever, who will be playing Abby in Season 2, discussed her role and the challenges of dealing with online reactions, admitting it's difficult for her to avoid looking at feedback on the internet.