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

Neil Druckmann, the director of The Last of Us, recently provided intriguing insights into Naughty Dog's upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a revealing interview with Alex Garland, the acclaimed writer behind the zombie film 28 Days Later, Druckmann discussed the game's development journey, which has spanned four years.

Reflecting on past projects, Druckmann humorously noted the polarizing reception to The Last of Us Part II. "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," he shared. Garland responded lightheartedly, "Who gives a shit?" Druckmann agreed, explaining the shift in focus for Intergalactic: "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 unfolds in an alternate historical timeline, centered around a "pretty prominent religion" that has evolved significantly over time. Players will follow Jordan's journey as she aims to become the first person in centuries to escape the planet's orbit.

Druckmann teased the game's setting: "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 approach to isolation and mystery: "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 other news, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, showrunners for The Last of Us Season 2, have confirmed that "spores are back" after their absence in Season 1. At SXSW 2025, Druckmann highlighted the escalation in the show's narrative: "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 discussed her role as Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, acknowledging the challenge of tuning out online feedback.