Panache Digital Games, co-founded by Patrice Désilets, the original creator of Assassin's Creed, has announced that its narrative adventure game, 1666: Amsterdam, will launch into early access on August 25. The game, which began its development cycle in the early 2010s, was formally revealed at Summer Game Fest in June.
1666: Amsterdam is set in two distinct time periods: 1666 and 1999. Players will assume the role of a witch exploring the secrets of Amsterdam in 1666, accompanied by a cat companion. This feline is possessed by the consciousness of a man summoned from 1999.
A free demo was released alongside the Summer Game Fest announcement. Polygon's Ford James described the demo experience, stating, "There's an interesting theme here, but it can’t be saved by the awful gameplay and writing. After 15 long years, 1666: Amsterdam needs to go back to the drawing board." The studio previously confirmed the use of generative AI for some in-game portraits and external marketing assets, though it assured that neither the early access nor the full game will include AI-generated assets.
The early access version of 1666: Amsterdam will be available on Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. According to an update on Steam, this initial release will feature the first part of the campaign, estimated to take approximately 15 hours to complete. Panache Digital Games anticipates that the early access period will last for about a year, during which several significant updates are planned.