Naughty Dog’s New Sci‑Fi Isn’t Coming Soon — Here’s Why That Actually Matters

Don’t Expect Intergalactic at The Game Awards – and That’s the Big News

This caught my attention because Naughty Dog rarely launches a brand-new franchise and even more rarely says “we need more time” without sparking headlines. Multiple insiders – including Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier and Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb – now place Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet out of The Game Awards 2025 and unlikely to ship in 2026. Translation: the earliest realistic launch window is 2027 or later, and the studio won’t be showing it off at TGA this year.

• Key takeaway: No Intergalactic reveal at TGA 2025, and a 2026 release is off the table.
• Why it matters: Naughty Dog’s first original IP since 2013 is being given extra time — good for quality, frustrating for hype-hungry fans.
• Insider sources: reporting from Jason Schreier and Jeff Grubb points to an active, but not ready, development state.

Breaking Down the Announcement — What’s Actually Happening

Naughty Dog quietly showed a stylish sizzle at The Game Awards 2024: a sci‑fi bounty hunter named Jordan A. Mun (voiced by Tati Gabrielle), anime and ’80s music cues, a Porsche spaceship, and a look that mixes retro kitsch with high‑end rendering. That trailer seeded big expectations. But reports over the past weeks make the obvious plain — the game isn’t in a state to headline a showcase or get a hard release window. Schreier and Grubb, two of the industry’s better-connected reporters, have independently suggested 2027 is the earliest sensible ETA.

Why This Isn’t Just Another Delay — It’s a Signal

Naughty Dog has a reputation built on painstaking craft: Uncharted refinements, The Last of Us’ narrative depth, and high production values. When a studio with that track record says “we need more time,” it’s different from a mid‑tier studio slipping a date. It usually means systems, AI, and narrative beats are being reworked rather than slapped together for launch-day optics.

That said, some skepticism is warranted. Big studios also gatekeep timelines to control hype, protect stock, or avoid embarrassment on live stages. The lack of a TGA slot could be editorial — no trailer that tightens PR messaging — or practical: the build simply isn’t stable. Either way, fans should stop planning a 2026 holiday purchase and start expecting a longer campaign of reveals and teases leading up to 2027.

What This Means for Gamers

If you love Naughty Dog for story-driven single-player experiences, this is mostly a net positive: more polish, more iteration, and a higher chance Intergalactic lives up to the studio’s bar. But patience isn’t free. A later launch also stretches the hype cycle and raises the stakes — delayed AAA titles can grow bloated, lose focus, or become targets for inflated expectations.

• Expect fewer public showings until the team is confident they won’t be judged on pre‑alpha footage.
• Prepare for a marketing push closer to release — likely a concentrated year‑long campaign rather than multi‑year drip feeding.
• Keep an eye on PS5 tech talk: Naughty Dog often uses long development to push platform limits, which can mean impressive visuals but also strict hardware requirements.

What You Can Do While You Wait

Use the delay productively: replay Naughty Dog back catalog to track themes and systems they evolve, join community hubs to trade theories about Jordan A. Mun and the world, and follow credible insiders rather than speculation threads. Also, play similarly ambitious single‑player sci‑fi games (Horizon, Death Stranding, Control) to wet your appetite for open‑ended exploration and narrative set‑pieces.

Looking Ahead — Expectations and Caveats

Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic is one of the few new big‑budget original IPs on the horizon from a veteran studio. That makes the stakes huge: if it delivers, it reshapes what we expect from narrative sci‑fi on consoles; if it fumbles, the delay could feel like wasted goodwill. For now, trust the reputable reporting: don’t expect TGA surprises, and don’t book a 2026 release. Instead, watch for measured reveals and a real gameplay demo when the team has confidence in the build.

TL;DR

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet won’t appear at The Game Awards 2025, and a 2026 launch is unlikely. Treat this as Naughty Dog prioritizing polish — welcome news if you care about quality, annoying if you wanted a new blockbuster next year. Earliest realistic window: 2027 or later.