I’ve seen much more of 1666: Amsterdam, and the witchy game by the creator of Assassin’s Creed has some surprising ideas

1666: Amsterdam, the long-awaited project from Patrice Désilets, the original creator of Assassin’s Creed, will launch into early access on August 25, 2026, on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The game has endured a remarkable 15-year development journey marked by legal battles between Désilets and Ubisoft over the game’s rights. After being re-revealed at Summer Game Fest in June 2026, 1666: Amsterdam drew significant attention for its dark, witchy aesthetic and ambitious narrative concepts.

Set across two timelines—1666 and 1999—the game follows a witch investigating the secrets of 17th-century Amsterdam, armed with magic and a broomstick, accompanied by a playable cat companion. The early preview build demonstrated the game’s stunningly rendered cobblestone streets and atmospheric 1600s setting, though reactions to the June prologue release have been mixed.

Developed by Panache Digital Games, the Montreal-based indie studio co-founded by Désilets in 2014, the team is actively iterating on the experience, building between 15 to 20 versions daily ahead of the early access launch. While some players found the overlapping timeline systems and narrative concepts confusing, the game’s creative ambition and distinctive setting have generated significant anticipation, particularly given Désilets’ pedigree with the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

I’ve seen much more of 1666: Amsterdam, and the witchy game by the creator of Assassin’s Creed has some surprising ideas

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