Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog’s upcoming action-adventure game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, takes inspiration from classic anime like Akira and Cowboy Bebop.
During a recent interview, Naughty Dog president and Intergalactic co-director Neil Druckmann stated that the upcoming title will be a return to the studio’s roots in the action-adventure genre that helped build its reputation with franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.
Inspiration & Story
Druckmann further mentioned that Intergalactic takes inspiration from classic anime like the 1988 movie Akira and the 1990s series Cowboy Bebop. Regarding the game’s story, he said that it is quite ambitious, dealing with a fictitious religion and the consequences of putting one’s faith in different institutions. It is set in an alternate timeline, where space travel has advanced considerably by the year 1986. Protagonist Jordan Mun, a bounty hunter, is played by Tati Gabrielle, and Kumail Nanjiani has played the role of Colin Graves, one of her wanted men.
Development
According to Druckmann, over 250 Naughty Dog employees have worked on Intergalactic over the past four years. He said that the studio is only starting to lift the curtain on the action-adventure title. During a recent online panel, he had revealed that the game had been in development since 2020. He further mentioned that Sony Interactive Entertainment has given him full control over the creative side of things.
Soundtrack
Druckmann revealed that the soundtrack for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet has been composed by Trent Reznor, the founder, lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, and Atticus Ross. Together, they have also worked on film scores for Challengers and The Social Network.
Earlier this year, during an interview with YouTuber Logically Speaking, Druckmann, Druckmann had shared that Intergalactic is a really ambitious project, and that parts of it are really hard to work on. However, he said that he has surrendered to knowing that it is going to be really hard and to knowing that it is going to be stressful for members of the development team.
