Naughty Dog has finally answered the two questions its fans ask most. In a studio note published on September 28 to close out this year's The Last of Us Day, studio head Neil Druckmann confirmed that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will be fully revealed in 2027. He also confirmed that two new projects set in the world of The Last of Us are in development. Both are at a very early stage. And the studio has told fans plainly not to expect anything more from it for the rest of 2026.
Two new stories in the world of The Last of Us
The bigger surprise is the Last of Us news. Druckmann has hinted for years that the studio might go back to Joel and Ellie's world, most visibly in the Grounded II documentary about the making of Part II. That hint is now official. According to the note, Naughty Dog has "a couple of very exciting new projects in very early stages", and both will expand the series' canon beyond Part I and Part II.
That wording rules out a few things. These are not remasters, ports or re-releases of the existing games, because Naughty Dog is describing new canon. The note does not say whether either project is a numbered sequel, a smaller side story, a game at all or something in another medium, and Druckmann says outright that the studio can't say much yet. The one firm commitment is about motive: he writes that Naughty Dog would not return to the setting unless it had something meaningful to say, and that the team believes these stories are worth telling.
The context matters. The Last of Us has been one of PlayStation's biggest franchises for more than a decade, and the studio's last attempt to extend it, a standalone multiplayer game, was cancelled in 2023. Since then Naughty Dog's public output on the series has been remasters and PC versions. Two canon-expanding projects in production are the first sign in years that the story itself is moving forward.
Intergalactic goes quiet until 2027
The second half of the note deals with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which Naughty Dog debuted in December 2024 and has said almost nothing about since. Druckmann calls it what is shaping up to be the studio's most ambitious game yet, and describes an "electricity" around the studio as its pieces come together. He is also direct about timing: the team needs "to cook for just a little bit longer."
So the studio is setting expectations early. Naughty Dog says it will stay quiet for the rest of this year. In 2027 that changes, with a full reveal of Intergalactic and what Druckmann calls a proper look at Jordan's sci-fi adventure. The note gives no date, no event and no release window, and it does not promise the game itself will ship in 2027. The commitment is to a reveal.
That makes this holiday season clear for PlayStation watchers: Intergalactic will not appear at any showcase before January. For a game that has been publicly announced for almost two years with only one trailer behind it, that clarity is worth something.
What we know about Intergalactic so far
Everything public about the game still comes from its December 2024 debut. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is a new franchise from Naughty Dog for PlayStation 5, with work under way since 2020. Players follow Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter who ends up stranded on Sempiria, a distant planet that lost contact with the rest of the universe centuries ago. Beyond that premise, the reveal trailer set the tone: bold red-and-blue retro sci-fi, a heavy dose of style, and a mystery around the planet and the faith connected to it.
The studio has kept almost everything else back. It has not described the game's structure, its combat systems beyond what the trailer showed, how open its world is, or when it will release. That is why a "full reveal" matters. A lead-in of about a year suggests Naughty Dog wants to show the game properly, gameplay included, rather than drip out more teasers.
A studio managing two big franchises
Read together, the two halves of the note describe a studio that is spreading out. Intergalactic is the current priority, with most of the team heads down on it. Meanwhile, early-stage work on the Last of Us projects means the franchise that made Naughty Dog's name in the PS3 and PS4 eras is not being set aside. Early-stage projects can shift a lot, so the sensible expectation is years, not months, before either one is shown.
Druckmann ends by acknowledging that Naughty Dog has had little to share for a long time, and says the studio does not take players' patience for granted. The note also thanks The Last of Us Day viewers, whose donations during the studio's stream raised more than $11,000 for the accessibility charity AbleGamers.
For now, the takeaways are simple: no Intergalactic until 2027, a full reveal when it does return, and more of The Last of Us on the way, eventually.
