Intergalactic: Schreier Confirms The Heretic Prophet Won’t Release Before 2027

Naughty Dog’s Upcoming Game Delayed Until 2027

Recent insights from Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reveal that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, an exciting new sci-fi title currently under development at Naughty Dog, will not see its release until at least 2027. This announcement coincides with CD Projekt RED’s confirmation to its investors regarding the release timeline of The Witcher IV, indicating that fans shouldn’t expect a launch before the end of 2026.

Early Development Phase

Discussions on the ResetEra forum highlighted Schreier’s previous comments regarding both games, which were unveiled for the first time during The Game Awards in December 2024. Users noted that Schreier characterized the titles as being in the early stages of development, considerably distant from actual launch dates. Affirming this, Schreier recently reiterated:

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

Insight from Naughty Dog

While there has been no official timeline for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Game Director Neil Druckmann expressed his enthusiasm yet acknowledged the lengthy development process involved:

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. It’s like, I still don’t know exactly what this thing’s gonna look like at the end. It’s like, I have a theory, I have an idea, but it’s still evolving and changing as we are making it.

The Impact of Delays

If Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is indeed released in 2027, it will mark a significant gap of seven years since the launch of Naughty Dog’s last game, The Last of Us Part II. This prolonged hiatus is noteworthy, particularly as the studio had nearly finalized The Last of Us Online but ultimately chose to cancel the project. The decision came after they recognized, with insights from Bungie, that supporting the game post-launch would require substantial resources for several years.

Comparative Development Timelines

In a parallel timeline, The Witcher IV represents CD Projekt RED’s next major release following the tumultuous launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in late 2020. Unlike Naughty Dog, the studio did not cancel any games during this period, instead focusing on enhancements to Cyberpunk 2077 and the successful launch of the Phantom Liberty expansion. Additionally, CD Projekt RED has shifted its development from the proprietary RED Engine to the more robust Unreal Engine 5.

Understanding the Development Landscape

The lengthy development cycles for both titles illustrate the current landscape of AAA gaming, where project completions can stretch anywhere from five to seven years. This trend underscores the increasing difficulties studios face, as significant investments of time and resources can lead to catastrophic losses if a game fails to meet expectations.

In summary, both Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and The Witcher IV are products of a more complex and resource-intensive development environment, with each studio navigating its unique challenges and timelines.

Source & Images