Former Naughty Dog designer is concerned about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, as it could be 'another Last of Us 2 situation'

Even though the official reveal came late in 2024, Naughty Dog has been working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet for nearly seven years. Former studio designer Benson Russell has now shared some concerns about this style of development and how it can negatively affect the game itself.

Speaking with FRVR, Russell explained that Naughty Dog is “one of the key stakeholders” when it comes to PlayStation console sales. However, the studio hasn’t released any original IP for the PS5, with the last mainline title being The Last of Us Part II from 2020 for the PS4. They are now working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which will be very different from what Naughty Dog has done in the past.

It has been in development for almost seven years, and Russell feels this release structure is absolutely not sustainable. As to why Naughty Dog may be taking so long, Russell theorized that it might be a similar situation to The Last of Us 2, where the “game’s scope was too large for the tale it was telling.” If so, the game might need to be edited.

Speaking in general about game development and why games take so long, Russell added that modern games are approached with the wrong perspective, with games being greenlit without a defined North Star. Through his experience as a consultant in the industry, the former Naughty Dog designer believes these seven-year-long projects can be cut down to five years, if not more. All the game needs is to define itself with a solid North Star right from the get-go.