The Quiet Shift Behind the Scenes
Neil Druckmann, co-president of Naughty Dog and the brain behind The Last of Us, has confirmed he’s involved in a second game at the studio. No, not Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet—that’s the big flashy sci-fi one we already know about. This one hasn’t been announced, and Druckmann, usually the guy behind the creative wheel, is taking a back seat. Sort of.
Speaking on the Press X to Continue podcast, Druckmann revealed that for this unnamed title, he’s in more of a producer role, mentoring the team and giving notes from the executive row instead of calling the shots himself. It’s a noticeable departure from the way Naughty Dog’s projects have traditionally orbited around his directorial gravity. Call it a passing of the creative baton—or at least a loosening of the grip. With Shaun Escayg (Uncharted: The Lost Legacy) the most likely person at the helm.
The Last of Us Part III? Probably Not. But Maybe?
Naturally, fans have already built their conspiracy boards. Could this mystery game be The Last of Us Part III? Don’t bet on it. Druckmann has said he has an ending in mind for the saga, but his Q&A with Variety earlier this year suggests it won’t be for some time— plus, his semi-detached role here suggests otherwise. If it were another trip back to the Cordyceps apocalypse, you’d expect him to be neck-deep in it, not hovering from above like a narrative consultant.
So maybe it’s something new. Naughty Dog has publicly said they’re done with Uncharted, they’ve long since passed Crash Bandicoot‘s leash to Activision Blizzard, and Jak & Daxter petered out in 2009 with The Lost Frontier. Unless they’re going back to the 80s with Math Jam or Keef the Thief, it’ll be a new IP with a new setting.
And if it’s not more Sci-Fi (would they really double up against Intergalactic?), it could be a fantasy story like The Witcher.
Meanwhile, on Planet Sempiria…
While the second project remains nameless and faceless, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is steadily becoming Naughty Dog’s most ambitious swing in years. It’s set 2,000 years in the future, on a faraway planet named Sempiria, where a bounty hunter (played by Tati Gabrielle of both the Uncharted film and The Last of Us tv series) starts asking too many questions about a mysterious new religion.
Druckmann called the game “really good” and claims it’s already playable in-house.
Based on what we know, it’ll be another story-driven exploration of a strange new world not unlike their other games (but who’s complaining?). This time though, the emotional trauma of The Last of Us is being switched out for themes of belief, faith, and cultural myth-making. If Intergalactic hits as hard as it sounds, it could mark a new narrative lane for the studio.
A Studio in Transition
Since 2020’s The Last of Us Part II, Naughty Dog has mostly delivered remakes and rereleases, with its attempted Last of Us multiplayer project quietly canceled in late 2023. The studio has also struggled with managing two large-scale productions at once—historically, one game tends to crowd out the other.
But with Druckmann stepping back from full-time creative control, and a new team rising within the studio, Naughty Dog seems to be future-proofing itself—handing the mic to a new generation while still whispering into their earpiece.
Whatever this second game turns out to be, Naughty Dog is clearly not in a rush to announce it. And given the time it takes to make just one of their titles, maybe that’s for the best.