Concern is growing around Naughty Dog’s next project. The studio has reportedly mandated overtime to complete an internal demo, raising uncomfortable memories of the crunch period that surrounded The Last of Us Part II.
Naughty Dog has spent the past several weeks under intense pressure to finalize an internal demo for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. According to anonymous Bloomberg sources, the PlayStation studio asked its employees to spend significantly more time in the office so the demo could be reviewed by its parent company, Sony. The situation has sparked concern among developers, many of whom see parallels with the crunch experienced during the production of The Last of Us Part II. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
As reported by journalist Jason Schreier, staff were informed in late October 2025 that they would be required to work a minimum of eight additional hours per week, while staying below a 60-hour weekly cap. These extra hours were tracked using an internal Excel spreadsheet. Sources say the move was intended to get production back on schedule after several missed deadlines earlier in the year.
Alongside overtime, Naughty Dog also tightened its in-office attendance policy. Employees who were previously expected to be on-site three days a week were required to attend the office five days a week during this period. Bloomberg sources indicate this caused logistical difficulties for some developers, particularly those needing to arrange childcare or pet care.
This phase has now ended for most employees. Overtime and mandatory five-day office attendance concluded once the internal demo of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was completed. After the holiday season, sources familiar with internal communications say Naughty Dog plans to share a more detailed development roadmap for the project throughout 2026.
Bloomberg contacted both Naughty Dog and Sony for comment, but representatives from both companies declined to respond. According to sources, this was not the first instance of extended hours on the project, as some teams had already worked overtime to prepare the trailer shown at The Game Awards 2024. However, this marks the first time in years that overtime has been enforced across the entire studio. With the game currently planned for a mid-2027 release, some developers fear another crunch period may be unavoidable.
Key Producers Are No Longer at the Studio
The Last of Us Part II drew widespread attention in 2020 due to allegations of crunch during development. Naughty Dog director Neil Druckmann openly acknowledged the issue at the time, promising change. “People weren’t happy, and we started losing staff,” he said, stressing the importance of balancing passion with clear boundaries to protect workers.
Druckmann reiterated this stance in a 2024 documentary, stating that such conditions would “never happen again” and that Naughty Dog’s goal was to eliminate crunch entirely. While the studio did restructure its production approach and hire producers tasked with reducing workload, Bloomberg sources claim that many of these individuals have since left the company.
With roughly eighteen months remaining before the project’s planned completion, some team members are worried about facing another crunch cycle. Given Naughty Dog’s status as one of PlayStation’s flagship studios, expectations are immense, and developers hope that the pursuit of excellence will not once again come at the cost of excessive overtime.
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