After years of silence about new projects, criticism over a series of remakes and remakes, and canceled online games, Naughty Dog has finally revealed its next game. First-party Sony Studios announced a new game in the series, Star Trek: Oracle of Heretic, at the 2024 Game Awards on Thursday. The game appears to be a sci-fi action game currently in development for PlayStation 5. Naughty Dog did not reveal a release schedule for StarCraft: Heretic Prophet, but confirmed that it has been developing the game since 2020.
Naughty Dog announces next game
The Game Awards founder and producer Geoff Keighley premiered the trailer for Interstellar: Prophets of Heretic in the final announcement of the night. “Because tonight is a special show, we have one more thing,” Keighley said.
After the news was announced, Naughty Dog studio head and StarCraft director Neil Druckmann said the game would be the studio’s “craziest, most creative story yet.”
“We’re back! You’ve been wondering what we’ll do next, and I’m excited to finally be able to answer: Naughty Dog’s next game is StarCraft: Prophets of Heresy, currently in development for the PlayStation 5 console,” Druckmann said in a blog post on the Naughty Dog website, revealing more details about the game. “We’ve been working on this new adventure since 2020! The game promises to be our craziest, most creative story yet.”
Porsche spaceship in the stars
Photo credit: Sony/Naughty Dog
StarCraft: The New Heresy: What We Know So Far
The trailer follows a moody ’80s retro-futuristic aesthetic, complete with pulsing synth music and recognizable brands (Porsche spaceships, Adidas sneakers), showing Interstellar’s protagonist Jordan Mun, a bald bounty hunter, chasing his target on a distant, dark planet. Druckmann shared more details about the game’s premise in a blog post, promising an “emotionally rich, character-driven” story and “the deepest gameplay in Naughty Dog’s history.”
“Our newest protagonist, Jordan A. Mun, is a dangerous bounty hunter who ends up stranded on Sempiria, a distant planet whose communications with the outside universe were paralyzed hundreds of years ago,” Druckmann said. “In fact, anyone who flies to it in the hope of unraveling its mysterious past is never heard from again. If Jordan hopes to become the 600 The first to leave its orbit in years, she’ll have to use all her skills and wits.
The protagonist of “Interstellar” is bounty hunter Jordan Mun, played by Tati Gabrielle
Photo credit: Sony/Naughty Dog
“Beyond that, we’re keeping everything about the story under wraps – at least for now. What we can tell you is that this game continues in Naughty Dog’s tradition of creating an emotional, character-driven epic journey. Our narrative goals are only rivaled by our game ambitions. This will be the deepest gameplay in Naughty Dog’s history, taking the lessons we’ve learned from previous series and pushing them beyond anything we’ve done before.”
The trailer features in-engine footage showing Jordan claiming a bounty through her agent (Colin Graves, played by actor Kumail Nanjiani). The bounty hunter is played by Tati Gabrielle; Better Caul Saul actor Tony Dalton also appears in several photos from the trailer. Druckmann said additional casting will be announced in time. Additionally, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the critically acclaimed duo behind original scores for films such as The Social Network and Contenders, will score Interstellar.
Interstellar may feature melee combat
Photo credit: Sony/Naughty Dog
The trailer doesn’t reveal much about gameplay, but we get a glimpse of Jordan’s retro-futuristic Porsche spaceship, suggesting players can use it to travel through time, or serve as a home base. The bounty hunter is seen armed with an automatic pistol, and she is later seen fighting robots with a red laser sword, hinting that the game may include shooting and melee combat.
“We know you’re hungry for more – trust us, we’re eager to share more with you. But now it’s time to put your head down and continue Jordan’s adventure,” Druckmann said.
With no confirmed launch timeline, StarCraft: Prophets of Heresy is likely at least a few years away. The game is Naughty Dog’s fifth original series, following “Crash Bandicoot,” “Jak & Daxter,” “Uncharted” and “The Last of Us,” and will be released exclusively on PS5.
