Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann Confirms Second Unannounced Game in Development

Naughty Dog's head, Neil Druckmann, recently shared exciting news in an interview with the Press X to Continue podcast: the studio is diligently working on a second, yet-to-be-announced game alongside their known project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Druckmann, who collaborates with game directors Matthew Gallant and Kurt Margenau on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, is also co-writing the narrative with Claire Carré. However, he remains tight-lipped about the director of the mysterious second project.

In his role at the Sony-owned studio, Druckmann adopts a more producer-like stance on the unannounced game, where he focuses on mentoring the team and providing executive oversight. "There's another game that's being worked on at Naughty Dog where I am more of a producer role and I get to mentor and watch this other team and give feedback and be like the executive in the room," Druckmann explained. He finds joy in the variety of his roles, stating, "I enjoy all those roles, and the fact I jump between one to the next, it makes my job very exciting and always feeling fresh. I’m never bored."

While the development stages of both games remain undisclosed, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is likely more advanced, given its public announcement. Speculation abounds about the nature of the second game. Could it be The Last of Us 3? Druckmann has previously expressed uncertainty about its development but mentioned having an envisioned ending. Given his producer role on the undisclosed project, it seems unlikely to be The Last of Us 3, as one might expect him to take a more hands-on, director's role for such a significant title.

Another possibility is a new entry in the Uncharted series, absent from new releases since 2017's The Lost Legacy. Alternatively, Naughty Dog might be crafting an entirely new intellectual property, similar to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

However, the future of this second game remains uncertain. Naughty Dog has faced challenges in recent years, including the cancellation of The Last of Us Online in December 2023 to prioritize single-player games. Historically, the studio has found it challenging to manage two major projects simultaneously, often prioritizing one over the other. Since the release of The Last of Us 2 in 2020, Naughty Dog has focused on remakes and collections.

As for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, it boasts an impressive cast, including Tati Gabrielle from the Uncharted movie and Kumail Nanjiani of Marvel's Eternals. The game is not slated for release until at least 2027, but Druckmann assures that it's already playable and "really good." Speaking to IGN at the premiere of The Last of Us Season 2, he teased, "I will say we are playing it at the office and it's incredible. It's really good. I'm so excited to finally put gameplay out into the world and show people about it, because we just showed you the very, very, very tip on the iceberg. The game goes pretty deep beyond that."

Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog is working on a second game. Photo by Rich Polk/Deadline via Getty Images.