Neil Druckmann Aims for 'Lost and Confused' Feel in Naughty Dog's New Game

Neil Druckmann, the director behind the acclaimed *The Last of Us* series, has recently shed light on Naughty Dog's ambitious new project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. In a revealing interview with Alex Garland, known for his work on the zombie film *28 Days Later*, Druckmann discussed the development journey of this upcoming game, which has been in the works for four years.

Reflecting on past experiences, Druckmann humorously noted the mixed reception to *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 said. Garland responded lightheartedly, "Who gives a shit?" To which Druckmann agreed, adding, "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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Set in an alternate historical timeline, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet introduces players to a world dominated by a significant religion that has evolved over time. The game stars Jordan A. Mun as Tati Gabrielle, who plays a bounty hunter trying to escape the confines of a mysterious planet. "This whole religion takes place on this one planet, and then at one point, all communication stops," Druckmann teased. "And you're playing a bounty hunter that's chasing her bounty, and she crash lands on this planet."

Druckmann emphasized the game's unique narrative approach, aiming to immerse players in an environment where they are truly lost and must unravel the planet's history to find a way off—a feat no one has accomplished in 600 years. "So many of the previous games we've done, there's always, like, an ally with you," he said. "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."

In other news, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, the showrunners for *The Last of Us Season 2*, have confirmed the return of spores, which were omitted from the first season. Speaking at SXSW 2025, Druckmann elaborated on the escalation of infected numbers and types, as well as the introduction of spores as seen in the latest trailer. "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form," he explained. "And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air."

Additionally, actress Kaitlyn Dever, set to play Abby in *The Last of Us Season 2*, shared her thoughts on the role and the challenges of dealing with online reactions to her performance.