1666: Amsterdam reaches early access after legal fight

Patrice Desilets, the creator of Assassin's Creed, has released the first two chapters of his long-delayed game 1666: Amsterdam for PC in early access.

Desilets said the action-adventure game, developed with a team of about 70 people, puts players in control of a witch and moves between 1666, 1999 and the present. He said the final version should contain about a dozen chapters.

The 52-year-old Quebecois said the project began with an idea during a trip to Amsterdam in 2011, after he left Ubisoft. He later worked on it at THQ Montreal, but that studio went bankrupt in 2013 and was bought by Ubisoft. Desilets was dismissed months later.

Years of legal wrangling followed before Desilets regained the rights to the unfinished game in 2016. He founded Panache Digital Games in Montreal and later returned to 1666: Amsterdam, with production slowed again by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Desilets said some criticism followed the use of generative AI to create parts of the game environment. He said AI was used in pre-production and appeared in the prologue, but that those elements had since been completely removed and were no longer being used.

Desilets said he was very satisfied with initial feedback. He also said he would not return to the Assassin's Creed franchise, saying he was independent and had his own studio.