Naughty Dog’s Sci-Fi Epic: Is ‘The Heretic Prophet’ Heading for a ‘Last of Us 2’ Scenario?

Alright, gamers! When we talk about Naughty Dog, we’re usually thinking about groundbreaking narratives, stunning visuals, and unforgettable characters. They’re the maestros behind classics like Uncharted and The Last of Us. But lately, many of us have noticed a bit of a slow pace from the legendary studio, haven’t we?

Their last big release was The Last of Us Part II Remastered in 2024, which, while fantastic, wasn’t an entirely new game. In fact, Naughty Dog hasn’t dropped an original IP on the current PlayStation platform yet, and that’s starting to raise some eyebrows, especially for a studio that’s crucial for selling PlayStation consoles.

Enter Benson Russell, a former designer who worked on both The Last of Us and Uncharted. Now a game development consultant, Russell is sounding the alarm bells about Naughty Dog’s next big project: Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. This ambitious sci-fi adventure has already been cooking for six years! Russell believes this kind of prolonged development isn’t sustainable and suggests the game could be launching closer to the PS6 era than the current one.

Russell’s main concern? He thinks The Heretic Prophet might be falling into what he calls “another Last of Us 2 situation.” For him, this means Naughty Dog’s tendency to pack a concise story with an “overstuffed” amount of gameplay. He suggests the game “might need to be edited” in this regard. This focus on cramming content might even stem from a long-standing studio philosophy, as Russell recalled past discussions where the goal was to ensure players felt they got their money’s worth, stating, “We can’t charge 60 bucks for a 5-hour game.”

Beyond development time, Russell also has reservations about the game’s direction. The Heretic Prophet is set in space, a huge leap from Naughty Dog’s usual gritty, Earth-bound adventures, think Nathan Drake scrambling through jungles or Joel and Ellie navigating post-apocalyptic America. The game’s reportedly “grisly melee combat” is another new frontier for the studio, whose action sequences have traditionally been more strategic than outright aggressive. Fun fact: Russell mentioned Naughty Dog even struggled with perfecting melee combat way back during the early Uncharted days, so this isn’t a new challenge for them.

This isn’t just a Naughty Dog issue, either. Russell points out that the gaming industry as a whole is seeing a worrying trend of “zombified” production periods. We’ve all seen it: GTA 6 seems like it’s been in the oven forever, Fable was announced in 2020 but isn’t due until 2027, and the Max Payne 1 and 2 remake has been in development for four years and counting. It seems like seven-year projects are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Russell firmly believes these lengthy development cycles can be shortened. He suggests that if studios define their vision clearly, establish that “North Star” right from the beginning, they could shave at least two years off a typical seven-year project, if not more. It’s about having a solid plan from day one.

Without this clear vision, developers risk making a “mess” of their games. Constant team changes, technical overhauls, and the frustration of having to restart elements can plague a project. And with studio closures and funding cuts hitting the industry hard, getting things right the first time is more critical than ever. Let’s hope Naughty Dog takes these insights to heart for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet!

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