Neil Druckmann Aims to Make Players Feel 'Lost and Confused' with Naughty Dog's New Game

Neil Druckmann, the visionary behind the acclaimed series *The Last of Us*, has recently shed light on Naughty Dog's next ambitious project, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. In a candid interview with Alex Garland, known for his work on the zombie thriller *28 Days Later*, Druckmann discussed the four-year journey of developing this new game.

Reflecting on past projects, Druckmann humorously noted, "We made a game, *The Last of Us 2*, and 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?" to which Druckmann agreed, highlighting the team's playful decision to pivot to a theme less likely to stir controversy: "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

4 Images

Set in an alternate historical timeline, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* introduces players to a world where a "pretty prominent religion" has evolved dramatically over time. Starring Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle, the game follows her character's quest to become the first person in centuries to escape the planet's orbit. Druckmann teased the narrative: "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."

Druckmann emphasized the unique experience the game aims to deliver: "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."

Last week, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, showrunners of *The Last of Us* Season 2, confirmed the return of spores after their notable absence in Season 1. At SXSW 2025, Druckmann shared insights on the upcoming HBO show: "There is an escalation of numbers and types of infected, but also, as you see in the trailer, an escalation of the vector of how this thing spreads."

He elaborated on the evolution of the infection: "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."

In related news, actress Kaitlyn Dever discussed her role as Abby in *The Last of Us* Season 2, admitting the challenge of managing online reactions to her performance.