Rumor: Alleged Naughty Dog QA Tester Shares Details About Intergalactic

An alleged former Quality Assurance Tester at Naughty Dog has come forward with details about the studio's upcoming title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, offering insights into the game's world, gameplay, plot, and even its planned release window.

According to the purported QA worker, in terms of overall feel, Intergalactic can be best described as "The Last of Us 2 meets Dark Souls," featuring a "nested sandbox"-style open world with large areas you can explore on foot, with a glider, or via "faith anchors" that let you fast travel if you link them. The planet itself is described as a "tomb of failed civilizations," having been cut off from the rest of the galaxy 600 years ago following a planet-wide lockdown triggered by a technocult.

As for its combat mechanics, The Heretic Prophet is described as similar to God of War (2018), with satisfying feedback and the ability to chain jumps and dashes into attacks for combos. Additionally, you can break limbs to handicap enemies, use special tools to inflict unique status effects, and target weak points, some of which become visible during enemy attack animations.

The game's protagonist, Jordan A. Mun, reportedly uses a dialogue wheel, though dialogue is said to be quite limited, with the player spending much of the game alone. Cutscenes and character interactions are included, but many encounters are optional – you can choose to stealth, avoid, negotiate in some cases, or hack enemies. Like in The Last of Us, much of the story can be uncovered through exploration, finding items, and reading journal entries.

On the technical side, a supposed QA tester claims that Intergalactic's lighting engine is "insane," with levels changing color according to the game's "planetary phase." The game was reportedly tested on PS5 Pro devkits.

Finally, it was revealed that the game is targeting a late 2026 release window, with a full cinematic trailer planned for this year's The Game Awards ceremony, provided Naughty Dog's plans don't change by then.

80 Level has reached out to Naughty Dog to verify whether the details shared by the individual are accurate. Until then, and I want to emphasize this once again, please consider every bit of information as nothing more than a rumor.