Patrice Désilets, founding director of Assassin's Creed, released the prologue for his new game 1666: Amsterdam during Summer Game Fest in June 2026 [1, 2]. The supernatural fantasy game is set in 17th century Amsterdam and explores witchcraft and occult themes. Players experience the prologue by controlling three characters across different time periods, including a crimson sorceress from the 1600s and a present-day investigator named Clio searching for an occult book [2].
The full prologue offers around 30 minutes of gameplay [2]. Désilets described the project bluntly, saying, "I want to do a game about the Devil" [1].
1666: Amsterdam originally began development at Ubisoft roughly 13 years ago but was shelved amid legal disputes that Désilets eventually won [1]. After forming Panache Digital and releasing Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Désilets returned to 1666: Amsterdam under his own studio's banner [1].
Following the prologue release, the game faced public backlash for using generative AI in some art assets and marketing materials. Panache Digital apologized, stating, "We own up to this oversight and apologise for any upset caused. Please be assured that the Early Access and full game will not include any assets generated by AI" [1].
The studio plans to launch an early access version of 1666: Amsterdam later in 2026 [1]. This next phase will allow players to experience more of the game beyond the prologue released at Summer Game Fest.
Players and critics will watch closely as 1666: Amsterdam proceeds toward early access, marking the near conclusion of a project first envisioned over a decade ago.
