Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Not Expected to Launch Before 2027, Confirms Jason Schreier

In a recent update that has tempered fan expectations, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Naughty Dog’s ambitious new sci-fi IP, is now confirmed to be much farther from launch than many had hoped. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the title won’t arrive before 2027, echoing similar news from CD Projekt RED regarding The Witcher IV, which will also miss the 2026 window.

The statement was shared in a ResetEra forum thread discussing Sony’s broader first-party strategy. Schreier clarified:

“I’m pretty sure I said they were both going to be very early teases. Neither of those games will be out next year.”

This aligns with earlier comments from Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Game Director and Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann, who recently stated:

“We still have a ways to go, but I’m kind of very excited to see... Again, these things are so complex and big and there’s so many people involved. I still don’t know exactly what this thing’s gonna look like at the end. I have a theory, I have an idea, but it’s still evolving and changing as we are making it.”

If the projected release holds, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will mark a seven-year gap since Naughty Dog’s last full release, The Last of Us Part II, which launched in 2020. The long development window is not entirely surprising—after all, the studio was working on The Last of Us Online, a standalone multiplayer spin-off, which was ultimately canceled following feedback from Bungie. According to reports, the game's live service nature would have consumed massive post-launch resources and significantly delayed other projects.

The development journey mirrors that of CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher IV, which was also revealed during The Game Awards 2024. That game, the first in a new saga starring Ciri, is also deep in development and not due out before 2027. CDPR has been busy upgrading Cyberpunk 2077, launching the Phantom Liberty expansion, and shifting development from its proprietary REDengine to Unreal Engine 5—a significant transition that naturally contributes to longer timelines.

The industry-wide trend of prolonged development cycles for AAA games is becoming increasingly common. As budgets balloon and development complexity rises, major titles are now expected to take between five to seven years from concept to release. This lengthy gestation period means that risks are higher than ever, with potential failure carrying catastrophic consequences for even the most reputable studios.

While no firm release date has been given for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, this new information affirms that fans will need to wait several more years to explore Naughty Dog’s bold leap into science fiction.

Are you excited about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet despite the long wait? Do you think AAA games should take this long to develop? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!