A new batch of job listings from Naughty Dog suggest that the studio has already begun QA and localization for its next title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
Naughty Dog is hiring (via Twitter/X user xMBGx) three Associate QA Testers and Language Development Support personnel to bug test and work with German, Italian, and Japanese localization teams for its upcoming action-adventure game, Intergalactic The Heretic Prophet.
Quality Assurance and localization generally happens towards the end of a game’s development cycle, suggesting that Naughty Dog may be planning on releasing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet sooner than expected. The job listings mention that the new recruits will be joining the studio to work on the the upcoming title. “Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we’d love to find talented individuals to join us.”
Last month, during an interview with Variety, Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet “the most ambitious game we’ve ever made,” describing it as not only the studio’s most expansive title, but likely also its most expensive by the time development concludes. The game has been in production since 2020 and is now deep in active development. “We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders”, said Druckmann.
Druckmann explained that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet builds upon Naughty Dog’s gameplay from Uncharted and The Last of Us, integrating lessons learned from narrative-driven third-person action games, RPG elements, and wide-linear level design. This time, however, the studio is embracing full-scale science fiction, crafting a rich universe set 2,000 years in an alternate future. Players will assume the role of Jordan A. Mun, a character who must escape the alien world of Sempiria, a planet with its own unique history and lore.
Tati Gabrielle (You, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) stars as Jordan in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, with Druckmann praising her influence on the character’s development: “She has been just as influential in the writing and the thinking of this character, her arc, and I believe she’s gonna be very iconic and complex and interesting in the Naughty Dog tradition.” Troy Baker (The Last of Us) also returns along with Tony Dalton (Better Call Saul), whom Druckmann personally recruited after working with him on Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us Season TV series.
