The Next Game From the Studio Behind ‘The Last of Us’ Imagines a Space Age Full of Brands

What if brands were in space? That seems to be the chief question posed by Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the next game from The Last of Us creators Naughty Dog.

In the final reveal from the 10th annual Game Awards, a show that also saw announcements for The Witcher IV, a PC port for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and a sequel to cult classic calligraphy game Okami, Sony’s lead studio in its narrative gaming renaissance showed that it remembered it can do something other than zombies.

The Intergalactic trailer had a lot of product placement in it, including clear Porsche, Sony, and Adidas logos, and it laid on the ’80s nostalgia thick. This is yet another “CRTs in space” story, which I’m personally not so sure about after seeing Alien: Romulus do its best to give my favorite horror series the Force Awakens treatment, but it’s also seems to have a significantly lighter tone than Naughty Dog’s done in years. As a fan of Jak & Daxter, perhaps it might surprise me yet.

Aside from that, the trailer was pretty sparse on details, instead looking to evoke a feeling more than anything else. Combat, surprisingly, appears to be melee focused, with the trailer’s heroine facing down a hulking robot with a not-lightsaber in its closing seconds. I got soulslikes vibes, but it’ll take a gameplay trailer to know for sure—the trailer also sees its lead character arming up with a gun at some point.

According to Naughty Dog, the studio has been working on the game since 2020, and yeah, the trailer’s detailed, expensive-looking visuals definitely show that extended development time. I’ve never seen such a lovingly rendered Pet Shop Boys CD in my life.

All jokes aside, Naughty Dog’s growth from Jak & Daxter developer to being the inspiration for a hit HBO series is impressive, and Intergalactic seems like it’s doing its best to blend that old school cartoony camp with the studio’s newfound prestige. A release date is still MIA—presumably, Sony’s working on landing another brand deal before its next trailer.