The gaming community finally caught a glimpse of Naughty Dog’s newest IP: Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and the project already left a strong impression. The game developers worked on this new project for years after shipping The Last of Us Part 2, and director Neil Druckmann pulled all of his strings to sneak in a few good Easter eggs for hardcore Naughty Dog fans to find.
5. The Product Placements in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Is Out of This World
When the Porsche logo appeared in The Game Awards reveal trailer, everyone in attendance expected this project would be well-made and expensive. With the backing of Sony Interactive Entertainment, director Neil Druckmann went all out with the brand deals and jammed as many of them in the announcement trailer. Set in an alternate universe, space travel is all the rage, and it would make sense for leading car and athletic apparel manufacturers to venture into the final frontier in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
Fans were convinced that this game would be a first-party PlayStation project when Jordan, played by Tati Gabrielle, booted her Sony CD player for some tunes together with her Adidas footwear. There is no telling what other luxury brands will be seen in the game’s final version.
4. A Star-Studded Cast for a Stellar Adventure
The line between Hollywood filmmaking and triple-A game development is getting blurrier now that these newspaper clippings confirmed the involvement of a few well-known celebrities such as Kumail Nanjiani, Tony Dalton, and Tati Gabrielle lending their likeness and talents to Naughty Dog. Gabrielle is no stranger to developers since she played an antagonist in the live-action Uncharted film and will be portraying Nora in the second season of The Last of Us on HBO.
There is no denying that Nanjiani’s image is used in the teaser trailer as Jordan is tracking down her bounty on Sempiria. While details about the plot are under wraps, these individuals could once be a notorious stick-up crew led by Tony Dalton known as the Five Aces, renowned for his likable appearance in Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye and Better Call Saul. Regardless of who these people are and their roles in the game, fans can expect stellar performances under Druckmann’s leadership.
3. Fans May Have Missed a Secret QR code in the Intergalactic Teaser Trailer
Naughty Dog loves a good Easter egg. The developers couldn’t help but sneak in a few references and callbacks to older games in their recent ones, like Uncharted cases scattered across both The Last of Us games. Upon close inspection, a secret QR code is tucked away and offers more of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s setting.
There’s a secret QR code in the Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet trailer
— Hunter 🎮 (@NextGenPlayer) December 14, 2024
Fans say it produces the number 66260700410, which is Planck’s constant in quantum physics
QR code can be seen at Timestamp 1:26 https://t.co/B1mGXnSRUo pic.twitter.com/nZTylfqNNv
The QR code is Planck’s Constant which is heavily related to quantum physics. Naughty Dog is not holding back with the science-fiction element, and this equation could be a major factor in the main story.
2. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Paid Tribute to Savage Starlight
After Jordan convinced her handler to take the bounty on Sempiria rather than stream a song in her advanced space shuttle, Jordan went old school and used a few CDs for some tunes on her way to the planet. Eagle-eyed fans could spot one of the disc art with the Savage Starlight comic book cover.
In The Last of Us, Ellie became obsessed with space thanks to her exposure to books about the space race and Savage Starlight comic books, and this cool Easter Egg reminded fans of the humble roots of this new franchise.
1. Macho Nacho From Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Is in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Geoff Keighley pulled one last surprise for The Game Awards and showed the announcement trailer without the official PlayStation Studios opening or Naughty Dog logo, which led some fans to guess that this game is another space project in real-time; however, some fans caught the subtle Macho Nacho label on Jordan’s cup. This confirms that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is a first-party title and Naughty Dog’s long-rumored science-fiction project.
Fans may recall Nate and Elena’s cute little exchange during Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, where Elena mentioned she once worked at Macho Nacho. The showrunners of the live-action series The Last of Us snuck in a massive Easter Egg during episode 7 season 1 in the mall, and this in-game fast-food chain managed to make its way to the newest franchise.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out the reveal of Elden Ring Nightreign during The Game Awards and details of the upcoming PC port of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Rouvin Josef Quirimit is a Content Writer, an avid gamer (on his PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch), and film enthusiast. He was fortunate to grow up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was enamored by the storytelling of a shared universe full of heart and spectacle. His love for movies led him to great single-player games and he intends to cover major franchises for years to come!
