Désilets' epic returns
Patrice Désilets' Long-Awaited 1666: Amsterdam Launches Free PC Prologue Ahead of Early Access
Anonymous
Panache Digital Games has revived Patrice Désilets’ long-dormant action-adventure project 1666: Amsterdam and released a free, roughly 30-minute PC prologue on Steam and the Epic Games Store, with Early Access planned for later this year and console versions to follow. The story centers on Noa Brooklyn, born as the Collector and raised by the Zaindaris to confront the Originals—centuries-old entities hiding behind human faces—across three intertwined timelines set in 1666, 1999, and the present. Players can also switch perspectives to Aaron, a character from 1999 now living as a cat, adding a supernatural, companion-driven angle to the gameplay. Désilets says the team prioritized a continuously playable development process rather than pre-rendered showcases, presenting the prologue as an early “taste” of the full experience. The game follows a complicated path to revival, originating at THQ Montreal, later absorbed and canceled by Ubisoft before Désilets ultimately regained the rights through legal action. More broadly, coverage frames the reveal as part of a shift toward auteur-led projects and higher-risk “AA” productions alongside franchise-driven development.
Key Points
1
Désilets’ long road to the game included multiple major milestones: he started 1666 at THQ Montreal around 2011, Ubisoft took over after THQ collapsed, let him go in 2013, and he “finally” won the rights back in 2016—before spending years building Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey and then circling back to 1666.
2
The free playable prologue has a specific chapter name—“Noa’s Commencement”—and is described as introducing the world and central mystery while showing Noa “ascend” into the role she was “born for with her Commencement.” Désilets also emphasized the development approach in the exact terms “No fake footage, no vertical slices, just a playable experience evolving build after build, day after day.”
3
Coverage framing the reveal as auteur-driven also offered a thematic rationale for the title year: the number “1666” is tied to the Great Fire of London and the height of European witch-hunting hysteria, with commentary arguing that the game reflects a broader trend of “fictionalizing the occult” through grounded, atmosphere-heavy magic rather than generic high-fantasy.
4
Panache’s official comeback was timed to Summer Game Fest 2026: Désilets used the event for the reveal (“world premiere trailer” coverage) and confirmed Early Access for later this year, with the free prologue already live on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
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