Intergalactic: Naughty Dog’s first new game in four years

LOS ANGELES: One of the gaming industries most prestigious developers revealed their latest title for the PlayStation at The Game Awards on Thursday night, titled ‘Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’. The latest game, which doesn’t have a release date, is Naughty Dog’s first new game since 2020’s ‘The Last of Us Part II’, and their first new Intellectual Property (IP) since 2013’s ‘The Last of Us’.

Moments before the final award of the night, Geoff Keighley, the shows host, announced that he had something special in store to reveal from one of the best studios in the industry. And so, the trailer for the last announcement of the show came on the big screen, revealing an enigmatic text.

“The suffering of generations must be endured to achieve our divine end.”

– Ancient Sempirian Scripture, 1986  

Following the scripture, the trailer showcased the outer space setting of the game, before a space ship took centre stage. Spliced with footage from an animated show resembling ‘Cowboy Bebop’, the trailer revealed Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter, played by Tati Gabrielle.

According to the announcement post on Naughty Dog’s website, the hero of this story set in the stars ends up stranding on the planet Sempiria.

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A unnamed character, adorned with an eye patch on her right eye, pops up on the various screens plastered around Mun’s ship, apprising the protagonist that the bounty she seeks can be found around the Sempirian moon. A few minutes later, filled with warnings from the agent on the screens, Mun stares down a crumbling moon superimposed on a gigantic red planet, ready to hunt her target.

But, she does so knowing that no one has been able to leave that planet in over 600 years.

NEIL DRUCKMAN – FULL CREATIVE CONTROL

Neil Druckman, studio head and creative director of the Last of Us series, revealed in November that Sony had given him full creative control of the upcoming game, which has been in development since they released The Last of Us Part II in 2020.

The announcement was met with excitement and worry, due to the mixed response to the latest instalment in the last of us series. While the gameplay, worldbuilding, and everything on a technical level was lauded, some fans didn’t appreciate the narrative.

Fans were disappointed that the protagonist from the first instalment in the franchise, Joel Miller, was killed early on in the sequel. That disappointment turned to ire when fans began playing as his killer in the second half of the game. Players who enjoyed the narrative voiced their appreciation of the narrative that delves into revenge and forgiveness.

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However, a completely new intellectual property (IP), gives Druckman and Naughty Dog the opportunity to recapture those fans that didn’t appreciate their last new release, while still catering to their die-hard followers which they gained through legendary franchises including ‘Jax and Daxter’, ‘Uncharted’, and ‘The Last of Us’.