Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog’s upcoming action adventure game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, may have a hidden nod featured in The Last of Us.
An eagle-eyed Naughty Dog fan appears to have spotted a hidden reference to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet that’s been present in The Last of Us: Left Behind all along. The latter was originally released as DLC for The Last of Us back in the year 2014. Given the 11-year gap between its release and the recent announcement of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, it may well just be a coincidence. That said, Naughty Dog is known for including subtle references to its future titles in a similar manner.
The reference in question is a dialogue between The Last of Us protagonist and her friend Riley in the Left Behind DLC. where Ellie describes intergalactic giant spaceships with two warp engines. “Like one of those intergalactic giant spaceships with like two warp engines.” As seen below, it sounds a lot like the spaceship belonging to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’s protagonist, Jordan A. Mun.
Not much is known about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet besides the details spotted during the game’s announcement trailer and those shared by co-director Neil Druckmann in a post-reveal interview. The upcoming title will be a return to Naughty Dog’s roots in the action-adventure genre that helped build the studio’s reputation with franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. According to Druckmann, the game takes inspiration from classic anime like the 1988 movie Akira and the 1990s series Cowboy Bebop. Regarding the story, he said that it is quite ambitious, dealing with a fictitious religion and the consequences of putting one’s faith in different institutions.
Much like The Last of Us, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet also appears to feature horror elements. This was hinted at by illustrator and story artist Colin Lorimer, who had worked on the initial board pitch for the game alongside co-director Neil Druckmann, and Naughty Dog artists in 2023. Additionally, artist Tye Martinez, who specializes in horror and suspense concept work, had mentioned that he couldn’t wait to share his work on the game.
