After stepping away as co-showrunner for HBO’s The Last of Us TV series to focus on Intergalactic, Neil Druckmann offered some slight updates on its development. No release date or when we’ll see gameplay, but he told Variety that the team “is in the thick of it” and it’s currently their “most ambitious,” “most expansive,” and by the time it’s done, “most expensive” game yet.
“We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders. I’ve said this before, but I really mean it, I’m really feeling it right now: It’s the most ambitious game we’ve ever made. It’s the most expansive game we’ve ever made, maybe the most expensive, by the time we finish it.”
Which all sounds great, but the real question is: When will players see more? “As far as when we’re going to show stuff, I’m so antsy to show it and talk about it because the trailer that we showed doesn’t even scratch the surface of what this game actually is,” says Druckmann.
“But announcing a game like this, especially when it’s a new IP, especially when it’s coming out of Naughty Dog, you’ve got to coordinate with marketing, with PR, with a bunch of people. So it’d be foolish for me to say when we’re gonna show something right now.”
He couldn’t even get into why Intergalactic is considered to have the “deepest gameplay” in Naughty Dog history. However, there may be a clue in the progression of design from Uncharted to The Last of Us. “You could look at our previous titles and see the evolution of going from ‘Uncharted,’ where we’re really cutting our teeth on a realistic character-action game, third-person shooter, combined with emotional storytelling.
“With ‘The Last of Us,’ we added some RPG elements, and we started playing with wide linear layouts. Continue that trajectory forward, add sci-fi, and you start to get the sense of what we’re doing, and then we’ve gotten even more ambitious than that. So, really looking forward to seeing how it all comes together. I think you’re all going to be pleasantly surprised by it.”
Intergalactic is allegedly inspired by Elden Ring’s player freedom, which could point to an open world. The story focuses on bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun pursuing a target on Sempiria and ends up stranded on the planet. Her combat style is seemingly melee-focused, but there’s little else that we know.
Unfortunately, it’ll be a while before we can go hands-on with Intergalactic, as Sony has confirmed that it will launch after March 2026 (and Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that it’s not launching next year). As always, stay tuned for updates.
It’s exciting to hear about Naughty Dog’s ambitious new project, Intergalactic! The team’s dedication to pushing boundaries in gaming is always impressive. Looking forward to seeing what they create!
Absolutely, the dedication of Naughty Dog is always impressive! It’s intriguing to think about how their experience with narrative depth in games like The Last of Us could influence the storytelling in Intergalactic. I’m curious to see how they blend expansive worlds with character-driven plots.
heir experience with narrative-driven games will shape Intergalactic. I’m curious to see how they blend storytelling with expansive gameplay in this new universe. It could set a new standard for open-world games!
You’re right; Naughty Dog’s storytelling has always been top-notch. It will be interesting to see how they integrate complex narratives with expansive gameplay in Intergalactic. The combination of their experience and new technology could lead to some groundbreaking moments!
I agree, Naughty Dog really excels in storytelling! It’ll be exciting to see how they blend their narrative strengths with the expansive universe of Intergalactic. The combination of rich character development and a vast setting could lead to some truly unique gameplay experiences.