Naughty Dog’s Future Looks Uncertain as Intergalactic Faces Delays and New Projects Emerge

The Last of Us developer has gone years without releasing a new game, and its next major project could still be a long way from launch as questions grow over development costs, crunch, and the studio’s future.

Naughty Dog has become one of PlayStation’s most recognizable studios, but its current situation is raising concerns about how long it takes to deliver a new game. The developer hasn’t released an all-new game since 2020, with its recent output mostly consisting of remakes, remasters, and other projects rather than a new experience.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is the studio's next major release, announced in 2024, but players will have to wait a while before they can play it. With development reportedly facing missed deadlines and mandatory overtime, you might start wondering whether Naughty Dog can maintain its reputation.

The situation becomes more complicated when you look at the studio’s plans beyond Intergalactic.

Naughty Dog has confirmed that two projects connected to The Last of Us are in very early development, while reports have also pointed toward another Uncharted game. However, these announcements do not mean any of the projects are close to release, and the studio has provided few details about what they will involve. 

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet remains the studio’s most important upcoming project, particularly because cancelling it would create an even bigger problem. Naughty Dog has invested considerable time and resources into the game, and abandoning it after such a long development period would leave PlayStation with little to show for that investment.

Publishers in the gaming industry sometimes continue to support projects because they’ve already spent years funding development. There’s been similar talk around XBOX’s Fable, which has been in development for a long time. Now PlayStation has its own worries with Intergalactic.

You have to accept a huge loss of money and no finished game to be able to cancel a game that has years of work and a huge budget behind it. The game being released doesn’t guaranty the publisher will get its money back, but at least it provides an opportunity to earn some.

The biggest concern is how long players might have to wait before Intergalactic finally arrives. Bloomberg previously reported that Naughty Dog employees were targeting a mid-2027 release in the best-case scenario, although the studio has since indicated that it will provide a more substantial look at the game in 2027.

That announcement suggests that a release in the first half of the year is becoming increasingly difficult to expect. If the marketing campaign follows PlayStation’s recent approach, the game could still require several additional months between its next major showcase and launch.

PlayStation has often relied on shorter marketing campaigns once a game receives a substantial gameplay presentation.

Ghost of Yōtei had a gap of approximately 13 months between its major showcase and release, while God of War Ragnarök followed a shorter promotional period. Marathon also experienced a delay before eventually reaching release within roughly a year of its major showcase. If Intergalactic follows a similar schedule after its planned 2027 reveal, you could be looking at a launch sometime between late 2027 and 2028 rather than the previously discussed mid-2027 window.

That timeline could create additional complications if the next PlayStation console arrives around the same period. Intergalactic could launch late in the PS5 generation, which could force PlayStation to consider how the game fits into its future hardware plans. The physical release situation could also be a concern if the rumors that PlayStation is going to stop disk production for new games in January 2028 are true. 

The development history helps explain why Naughty Dog has struggled to maintain a steady release schedule. For several years, a large portion of the studio’s workforce was reportedly assigned to The Last of Us Online or to remakes and remasters rather than an entirely new game. Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier explained that Intergalactic did not receive the majority of Naughty Dog’s staff until after the cancellation of The Last of Us Online. 

Working on remasters was not necessarily a mistake, however, because these projects can generate revenue while helping newer developers become familiar with a studio’s tools and existing franchises. They also allow employees to learn about a game’s production systems while contributing to a project with an established audience.

Naughty Dog could therefore maintain sales from The Last of Us releases while its employees worked on the online game and other projects. The problem emerged when The Last of Us Online was canceled in December 2023, forcing the studio to reconsider how it would use the workforce assigned to it.

Intergalactic was revealed in December 2024, approximately a year after that cancellation, and appears to have become the studio’s main development priority.

Moving employees onto the project would have allowed Naughty Dog to keep its teams together while focusing on a game that had already received approval. The timing also coincided with Neil Druckmann returning to game development after spending considerable time working on The Last of Us television adaptation.

However, the game’s reported production difficulties have raised concerns about working conditions. Bloomberg previously reported that Naughty Dog made overtime mandatory after missed deadlines, with employees reportedly required to work an additional eight hours each week to prepare a demonstration for PlayStation leadership.

That situation suggests the studio was pressured to show progress on a project that had already spent years in development. If the team had trouble hitting internal targets for a demonstration, it’s fair to wonder how much more work is needed to get the full game finished.

Longer crunch times can also cause problems for developers, particularly if they are required to keep up demanding schedules for extended periods of time. Working extra hours for a short period of time is not the same as working extra hours for months, and a long crunch can tire out employees before a game is in its final stages.

The concern is particularly significant if Intergalactic continues to face delays while its development team is already under pressure. Naughty Dog will need to balance its production targets with the practical limits of what its employees can reasonably deliver.

PlayStation’s broader approach to live-service games also helps explain the changes Naughty Dog has experienced.

The cancellation of The Last of Us Online came before the failure of Concord, which intensified concerns about the financial risks associated with expensive online projects. PlayStation subsequently became more focused on controlling development costs and building a release lineup with a stronger chance of generating returns.
 
Naughty Dog appears to be preparing for a future that extends beyond Intergalactic, but its newly announced projects are still far from finished. Druckmann confirmed that two early-stage projects would expand The Last of Us canon beyond the first and second games. That wording does not confirm that either project is The Last of Us Part III, despite speculation about another mainline installment. 

Reports have also suggested that another Uncharted game is in development, with the director of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy reportedly leading it. If true, it would give Naughty Dog another big franchise to build around after Intergalactic. However, the studio still needs to finish its current game before these future projects can take priority. 

Druckmann’s leadership will likely remain part of the discussion as Intergalactic moves closer to release. Naughty Dog has built its reputation through major successes, particularly The Last of Us, but its current production challenges have brought additional scrutiny to the studio’s direction. There is no confirmation that PlayStation intends to fire Druckmann, and the game’s eventual performance remains unknown. 

Naughty Dog still has valuable franchises, experienced developers, and the backing of PlayStation, but its release schedule needs to be more consistent. The studio has spent years working on projects that were canceled, remastered, or delayed, leaving Intergalactic to carry much of the responsibility for its next major release.

Its future projects could eventually restore a more regular flow of games, although they are not close enough to provide an immediate solution. Until Intergalactic reaches players and Naughty Dog demonstrates that its upcoming projects are progressing reliably, uncertainty will continue to surround one of PlayStation’s most important developers.