The year-long battle for former Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets has come to an end. Patrice Désilets has finally pulled back the curtain on 1666: Amsterdam on the stage of Summer Game Fest 2026. It marked the latest chapter in a development saga stretching back over 15 years.

After more than a decade of legal disputes, canceled plans, and ownership battles, 1666: Amsterdam is finally becoming a reality.

Désilets began his work on the project after leaving Ubisoft in 2010. He joined THQ in 2011, and this is where the development started. The game was believed to be a new historical action-adventure franchise, following his work on the first two Assassin’s Creed titles.

However, the project fell apart in 2013 when THQ collapsed. Ubisoft acquired THQ Montreal and retained ownership of 1666: Amsterdam. Désilets was later dismissed, and Ubisoft kept the intellectual property rights of the game. After that, a lengthy legal battle continued till 2016 when Désilets and his team regained control of the project.

For years, there wasn't much to hear about this game. The developer Panache Digital instead focused on releasing Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey in 2019. However, the studio returned to 1666: Amsterdam, and the SGF 2026 brought back a new life in it.

As per Désilets, about 70 people in Montreal have been developing this game for the last six years. They didn't want to produce vertical slices or scripted demonstrations. Instead, they focused on creating a playable experience.

Now, the fun part is that players can already try a free 30-minute prologue, which is available on Steam and the Epic Games Store. The demo introduces the world, characters, and central mystery ahead of the full game's Early Access launch later this year.

What players can expect from 1666: Amsterdam

The core part of the game is its history, and it's going to be fascinating. Apart from it, Panache Digital also revealed several details about the experience itself.

1666: Amsterdam is a dark third-person action-adventure title. The game is set across three different timelines: 1666, 1999, and the present day. Players will fill the shoes of Noa Brooklyn, a witch known as the Collector. She was raised by the Zaindaris, and her task is to confront powerful beings called the Originals.

The Originals secretly live among Amsterdam's citizens, disguised as ordinary humans. Players will have to investigate them first during the day, before eventually confronting them during supernatural events called Esbats, with the help of witchcraft and spellcasting.

The game also features another character named Aaron, who is from the 1999 timeline. He experiences the world through the body of a black cat, and players can switch between these two characters easily. Needless to say, each one offers different playstyles.

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Written by

Nilendu Brahma

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote