Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets’s long-delayed action game 1666: Amsterdam will launch in early access on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 25, 2026, priced at $30 with a playable prologue available now.
After years of legal battles, corporate ownership changes, and quiet development cycles, 1666: Amsterdam is finally heading toward release. The project, led by Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets at Panache Digital Games, resurfaced with a surprise playable demo ahead of an early access launch on August 25, 2026.
Development History and Rights Battles
The road to release for 1666: Amsterdam spans well over a decade. When Désilets left Ubisoft and joined THQ Montreal in 2011, the title was slated to be his next major project. Following financial struggles at THQ, the rights were acquired by Ubisoft. Désilets eventually managed to secure the rights back, offering a first look at concept art in 2016 and reaffirming development plans in 2019.
Today, the team at Panache Digital Games comprises nearly 70 talented developers in Montreal
who have spent the past six years focused entirely on the game itself, according to a press release from the developer.
“focused on one thing above all else: the game itself. No fake footage, no vertical slices, just a playable experience evolving build after build, day after day.”
Patrice Désilets, Panache Digital Games
Gameplay Mechanics, Day-Night Cycles, and Dual Protagonists
The game casts players as the witch Noa in the year 1666, alongside a civilian named Aaron in 1999 and a modern-day descendent of Noa. Through magic, Aaron and Noa become inextricably linked, serving as each other’s cat familiars across the different time periods. According to coverage of the game’s mechanics, the experience shifts dramatically between daytime investigation and nighttime combat.
During the day, players focus on investigation. Because Noa’s eerie magic is unwelcome in Amsterdam, the masses quickly turn hostile if overt witchcraft is used. To bypass this, players utilize Aaron the feline companion, who can slink into restricted areas and utilize powers more organically. These daytime investigations directly influence what players encounter and can craft during nighttime sequences, requiring thorough exploration.
According to a deep-dive video featuring co-founder and executive producer Jean-Francois Boivin from Panache Digital Games, the gameplay relies heavily on combining the unique skills of Noa and Aaron to uncover hidden truths and restore balance to the world.
Early Access Pricing, Scope, and Prologue Availability
Players do not have to wait until August to experience the game’s systems. Panache Digital Games released a 30-minute playable prologue demo on Steam and the Epic Games Store immediately following its re-reveal. Désilets characterized the demo as a small taste of what’s to come, an amuse-bouche before a nine-course dinner, an introduction to the world, its characters, and its different time periods.
When the full early access version launches on August 25 for PC, it will be priced at $30 and include approximately 10 hours of gameplay. That runtime represents less than half of what the studio ultimately aims to deliver in the final 1.0 release. While the early access timeframe remains open-ended internally, the development team maintains an end goal in sight while remaining open to community feedback.