Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann gives a nod to the OG Last of Us announcement with his reveal of sci-fi adventure Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

Naughty Dog's next project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, definitely isn't a new Last of Us game, but director Neil Druckmann might be trying to channel the success of the iconic post-apocalyptic fungal adventure with his announcement of the studio's upcoming project.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was officially unveiled during The Game Awards last night, and as its name suggests, it's oozing with sci-fi vibes. Players will step into the shoes of Jordan A. Mun – a bounty hunter who gets herself stranded on a distant planet called Sempiria. There are big robot enemies, apparently red, glowing swords are in fashion, and it all looks very cool. Naughty Dog's next project has been teased for so long now, so it's fascinating to see what's been stirring behind the scenes, even if I'm sure many were hoping it was going to be The Last of Us Part 3. It seems like Druckmann is making sure not to forget the series, at least, as he's made a nod to its original announcement with his reveal of this game.

"Intergalactic is Naughty Dog's fifth franchise and the game we've been working on for the last four years!" Druckmann writes on Twitter following the announcement, quote tweeting an old post of his from 2011, which reads: "The Last of Us is Naughty Dog's fourth franchise and the game I've been working on for the last two years."

13 years, a launch, remaster, remake, and a PC release later (not to mention a remaster for its sequel, too), it's fair to say that The Last of Us has been bathing in the spotlight for some time now, so it's nice to see something fresh emerge from the studio. In a blog post, Druckmann says that Intergalactic "is shaping up to be our wildest, most creative story yet," and it "lives up to the Naughty Dog tradition of creating an emotional, character-driven epic journey."

There's no launch date for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet just yet, but its reveal trailer has slated it as a PS5 release, so we can expect it to hit Sony's current-gen console at some point in the future.

You can look at all of the big reveals from last night in our roundup of everything announced at The Game Awards 2024.