Naughty Dog has reportedly imposed mandatory overtime and a full return to office for its upcoming game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Developers worked extra hours starting in October to prepare a demo for Sony, amid efforts to meet missed deadlines. The studio aims for a mid-2027 release, but concerns persist over worsening crunch as launch approaches.
Naughty Dog, known for titles like The Last of Us, is facing fresh allegations of crunch on its new sci-fi project, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. According to a Bloomberg report, the studio required most staff to log a minimum of eight extra hours per week starting in late October 2025. This overtime, capped at 60 hours total per week, aimed to get production back on track after several missed deadlines and culminated in completing a demo for Sony review this week.
Alongside the overtime, Naughty Dog enforced a mandatory five-day return to its Santa Monica studio, up from the usual three days. Employees reportedly had to arrange alternative care for children and pets due to the change. Management assured staff that the three-day policy would resume in January 2026, with more details forthcoming after the holiday break.
The studio had hired a team of producers in 2021 specifically to reduce crunch, but many have since departed. This echoes past issues, including notorious overwork during The Last of Us Part II's 2020 development, which Naughty Dog addressed in a documentary claiming improvements. In 2023, the company cut dozens of contractors about a year before announcing Intergalactic at the 2024 Game Awards.
Intergalactic follows bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun, stranded on the planet Sempiria, and is described as Naughty Dog's "wildest, most creative story yet." Aiming for a mid-2027 PS5 release, the game marks a new IP after years of sequels. Developers fear overtime may intensify closer to launch.
Studio head Neil Druckmann stated in a 2020 GQ interview, "They're gonna work very hard. We need to put some guardrails [in] so they don't injure themselves, but I don't think we could prevent them from working hard and still make the kind of games we make." Co-president Evan Wells added in 2021 that limiting hours to 40 per week "would frustrate people to no end," dismissing unionization's potential help.
To mark progress, the team received metal coins engraved with a game quote: "The suffering of generations must be endured to achieve our divine end."
Sony and Naughty Dog declined to comment. The studio maintains multiple internal teams, with one possibly developing The Last of Us: Part III.
