1666: Amsterdam Could Have Been Published by Xbox, But Microsoft Cancelled the Project Funding

One of the most memorable announcements this month was 1666: Amsterdam, a new game from Patrice Désilets, the creator of the original Assassin's Creed. The project was revealed at the Summer Game Fest presentation and immediately caught fans’ attention with its unique setting, original concept, and diverse gameplay—which includes everything from exploring the world in search of clues to engaging in battles with sinister enemies.

1666: Amsterdam was in development for over 15 years, and it turns out that it could have been released on Xbox during an earlier stage of the project. However, Microsoft eventually withdrew funding, and the game took a different path. Stephen Totilo, a representative of Game File, shared this on his Bluesky page after interviewing the game's creator, Patrice Desilets, as you can check out below:

As I reported in Game File, 1666: Amsterdam, the new game led by the lead creator of Assassin's Creed, was going to be Xbox-published, before Microsoft cut funding

That means, in recent years, Xbox was backing games from him, the Romeros, and Kojima. Not every game pans out, but quite a set of partners.

In the same interview, 1666: Amsterdam’s game director Patrice Desilets revealed some new details about the game. Besides the 1666 setting, the game will also feature the year 1999, during which players will spend about 15% of their time. The most intriguing part is that in this time period, players will take on the role of a man who, in Amsterdam 1666, exists as a cat and ally to the main heroine, Noah Brooklyn. Moreover, this man in 1999 also has a cat, who is actually a witch. In addition, Desilets shared that 1666: Amsterdam will include a so-called library where players can apparently learn more about the game’s world and lore. He also mentioned that he’s considering turning the game into a franchise in the future—provided that the original game performs well.

Are you excited about 1666: Amsterdam—the new game from Assassin’s Creed creator, Patrice Désilets, and his studio, Panache Digital Games? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The game will release on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and doesn’t have a release date yet. The prologue is now available to play.