Key Highlights:
- Neil Druckmann has returned to Naughty Dog for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
- Neil isn’t opposed to the idea of more The Last of Us games.
- The success of Intergalactic is what The Last of Us Part 3 needs to break even.
Naughty Dog has been riding a high lately, finding success in its Last of Us franchise, which is currently preparing for a third (and final) season. Co-showrunner Neil Druckmann has also appeared to have left HBO’s TV series production, choosing to focus on building Naughty Dog’s newest IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet instead.
With that in mind, Neil did also mention that they are far from finishing The Last of Us (which is arguably their most popular series yet), which hints at a possible trilogy. However, this all depends on how successful Intergalactic turns out to be, which could make or break the game entirely.
Neil Druckmann Steps Out of The Last of Us Season 3 to Focus On Intergalactic Instead
Speaking to Variety magazine in an exclusive interview, Neil Druckmann has revealed that he had left Season 3 of HBO’s The Last of Us as its co-showrunner to resume his work at Naughty Dog.
Neil returns to Naughty Dog and will oversee the development of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, an action adventure game set in space. This is a brand new IP from Naughty Dog, and there’s a lot that has been kept under wraps since its initial reveal back in December 2024.
However, the game does seem to be going through development quite smoothly, as per the interview mentioned earlier. Neil has described Intergalactic as the ‘most ambitious game’ they’ve ever made, promising a special performance from the one and only Troy Baker.
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The game is knee deep in development, with builds being tested. Neil is quite obviously keeping future reveals under wraps for now, waiting until the game reaches a suitable level of development (in addition to gaining approval from PlayStation).
Going back to Intergalactic as a game franchise, Neil has mentioned being committed to other franchises from the studio, including The Last of Us. After all, the team did briefly consider The Last of Us Part 3 for a while, before ultimately holding that off to focus on Intergalactic instead.
Part 3 of The Last of Us is expected to remain on the back burner until Naughty Dog finishes cooking Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet to perfection. All things considered, it might be best to leave them undisturbed for now.
The Future of Naughty Dog Depends on the Success of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Neil Druckmann has mentioned in the same interview that this is not the end for The Last of Us just yet. While Part 3 might take a while to happen, it’s most certainly on their bucket list of things to do.
However, they plan on finishing things one game at a time, so don’t go expecting any kind of development for Part 3 just yet. The viability of a Part 3 largely depends on the success of Intergalactic though, which could make or break the game. This is especially true in a video game market where competition remains fierce.
In a way, the success of Intergalactic is what could make or break even the studio itself. Given how much hype and manpower have been pushed toward the game, anything less than a sweeping success could be a catastrophic failure.
Neil had previously remarked that this was their biggest game yet, and you have to kind of agree with him here. Intergalactic is a monumental shift and a big gamble for Naughty Dog, and is pretty much a do or die moment for them.
How this will pan out remains to be seen, but one can be hopeful.
