The Last of Us Director Neil Druckmann Wants Naughty Dog's New Game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet to Make You Feel 'Really Lost and Confused'

Neil Druckmann, the director behind the critically acclaimed *The Last of Us*, has recently provided more insights into Naughty Dog's highly anticipated game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In an engaging interview with Alex Garland, the visionary writer of the zombie thriller *28 Days Later*, Druckmann delved into the development journey of *Intergalactic*, revealing that the project has been in the works for an impressive four years.

Reflecting on the creative decisions made during the development of *The Last of Us Part II*, Druckmann humorously shared with Garland, "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's light-hearted response, "Who gives a shit?" perfectly encapsulated their shared perspective on creative freedom. Druckmann continued, "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* introduces players to an alternate historical timeline, where the protagonist, portrayed by Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle, navigates a world dominated by a "pretty prominent religion" that has evolved significantly over time. The narrative follows Jordan, a skilled bounty hunter, as she crash-lands on a mysterious planet where all communication has ceased for centuries. Her mission? To uncover the secrets of this forgotten world and become the first in centuries to escape its orbit.

Druckmann elaborated on the game's unique setting, stating, "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. 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, excitement continues to build around *The Last of Us* Season 2. Showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin recently confirmed that "spores are back" after their notable absence in Season 1. During a presentation at SXSW 2025, Druckmann teased fans with details about the escalation in both the number and types of infected, as well as the return of the iconic spores as a method of infection spread. He highlighted, "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 portray Abby in Season 2, discussed her role in a recent interview. Dever admitted to the challenge of not checking online reactions to her performance, showing her dedication to the character and the series.