Naughty Dog's Intergalactic Was Inspired By Akira And Cowboy Bebop

At The Game Awards, Naughty Dog announced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a new game set in an alternative universe with advanced space travel being developed by 1986. The trailer showed a few seconds of gameplay in which the protagonist takes on a colossal cyborg with sci-fi-looking swords. It is the first original story for game director Neil Druckmann and his team in almost 15 years but has inspirational roots from anime classics like Akira and Cowboy Bebop.

Talking to The New York Times about the project, Druckmann declined to share many details about Intergalactic but explained what the story is at its core, and how he's ready to finally lift the curtain for the game.

"The story is quite ambitious," Druckmann said, and focuses on "what happens when you put your faith in different institutions."

Last December, Druckmann teased that Naughty Dog already had its next big game franchise planned out, but understands fans are still clamoring for The Last of Us Part III.

"I know the fans really want The Last of Us: Part III; I hear about it all the time," Druckmann said at the time. "All I can say is that we're already into our next project, the decision has already been made. I can't say what it is."

As for casting the game's lead for this space adventure, bounty hunter Jordan Mun, Druckmann went with Uncharted movie villain and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Tati Gabrielle. She'll be joined by Kumail Nanjiani as Colin Graves, one of her wanted men. Gabrielle will also be joining The Last of Us Season 2 as Nora, one of Abby's WLF cohorts.

"She has this intimidating presence to her," Druckmann said. "We brought her in for an audition, and she blew us away. It was one of those moments--like when I first saw Ashley Johnson as Ellie."

The trailer did not reveal a release date, but Druckmann added that Intergalactic was a return to Naughty Dog's roots in the action-adventure genre. More than 250 Naughty Dog employees have worked on Intergalactic over the past four years, in addition to outside artists in Druckmann's network.

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