In January 2013, Ubisoft acquired THQ Montreal and the 1666 project for $2.5 million, bringing Désilets back under the company he had departed years earlier . That return was short-lived. Ubisoft fired Désilets shortly after, handing him a termination notice for alleged failure to deliver an acceptable prototype . He later described being told he was fired "on his first day back in the office" .

What followed was a three-year legal war. Désilets sued Ubisoft for $400,000 and sought the rights to purchase the 1666 intellectual property . The case tested whether a creator could reclaim a project after corporate acquisition. In April 2016, the two parties reached a settlement: Ubisoft returned the full rights and all assets for 1666: Amsterdam to Désilets, and he dropped the lawsuit .

With the IP finally his, Désilets founded his independent studio, Panache Digital Games, and released the prehistoric survival game Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey in 2019 before quietly returning to the project that had been stalled for nearly a decade.

The Game: Witches, Time Loops, and a Playable Cat

The game revealed at Summer Game Fest 2026 is a supernatural detective story wrapped in 17th-century historical fiction. Players control Noa Brooklyn, a young witch born into the role of The Collector, a title she never chose . Raised by the secretive Zaindari order, she is tasked with hunting powerful entities known as The Originals — immortal beings who have wielded unchecked power while hiding in plain sight among Amsterdam's citizens for centuries .

The investigation spans three interwoven timelines: 1666 during the Dutch Golden Age, the year 1999, and the present day . Désilets has hinted that the player's actions across these eras will reveal fragments of a larger, recurring mystery — the marketing tagline being "Every 333 years, something stirs" .

Noa's most unusual ally is Aaron, a figure summoned from 1999 who now perceives the world through the eyes of a cat . Players can swap freely between Noa's witchcraft-driven combat and Aaron's feline perspective, each offering distinct mechanics . An early companion choice promises to have lasting narrative consequences across the full story .

The core gameplay loop asks players to investigate the city by day, then confront demonic forces at night under the light of the Esbat moon . Each Originals target can be approached multiple ways, with tactical planning required to shape the best outcome .

How to Play Right Now

1666: Amsterdam launched its free standalone prologue immediately after the Summer Game Fest showcase ended . The 30-minute story experience is available now on both Steam and the Epic Games Store for PC .

The full game will enter Early Access on PC later in 2026, with Panache Digital Games emphasizing a development model that builds the experience alongside player feedback . Console versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are planned, but Panache has not yet committed to a release window beyond stating they will arrive at a "later date" .

The prologue serves as a self-contained narrative teaser that introduces the world, the central mystery, and the tone — offering the first tangible proof that a game once considered cursed is finally, genuinely real.

In January 2013, Ubisoft acquired THQ Montreal and the 1666 project for $2.5 million, bringing Désilets back under the company he had departed years earlier . That return was short-lived. Ubisoft fired Désilets shortly after, handing him a termination notice for alleged failure to deliver an acceptable prototype . He later described being told he was fired "on his first day back in the office" .

What followed was a three-year legal war. Désilets sued Ubisoft for $400,000 and sought the rights to purchase the 1666 intellectual property . The case tested whether a creator could reclaim a project after corporate acquisition. In April 2016, the two parties reached a settlement: Ubisoft returned the full rights and all assets for 1666: Amsterdam to Désilets, and he dropped the lawsuit .

With the IP finally his, Désilets founded his independent studio, Panache Digital Games, and released the prehistoric survival game Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey in 2019 before quietly returning to the project that had been stalled for nearly a decade.

The Game: Witches, Time Loops, and a Playable Cat

The game revealed at Summer Game Fest 2026 is a supernatural detective story wrapped in 17th-century historical fiction. Players control Noa Brooklyn, a young witch born into the role of The Collector, a title she never chose . Raised by the secretive Zaindari order, she is tasked with hunting powerful entities known as The Originals — immortal beings who have wielded unchecked power while hiding in plain sight among Amsterdam's citizens for centuries .

The investigation spans three interwoven timelines: 1666 during the Dutch Golden Age, the year 1999, and the present day . Désilets has hinted that the player's actions across these eras will reveal fragments of a larger, recurring mystery — the marketing tagline being "Every 333 years, something stirs" .

Noa's most unusual ally is Aaron, a figure summoned from 1999 who now perceives the world through the eyes of a cat . Players can swap freely between Noa's witchcraft-driven combat and Aaron's feline perspective, each offering distinct mechanics . An early companion choice promises to have lasting narrative consequences across the full story .

The core gameplay loop asks players to investigate the city by day, then confront demonic forces at night under the light of the Esbat moon . Each Originals target can be approached multiple ways, with tactical planning required to shape the best outcome .

How to Play Right Now

1666: Amsterdam launched its free standalone prologue immediately after the Summer Game Fest showcase ended . The 30-minute story experience is available now on both Steam and the Epic Games Store for PC .

The full game will enter Early Access on PC later in 2026, with Panache Digital Games emphasizing a development model that builds the experience alongside player feedback . Console versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are planned, but Panache has not yet committed to a release window beyond stating they will arrive at a "later date" .

The prologue serves as a self-contained narrative teaser that introduces the world, the central mystery, and the tone — offering the first tangible proof that a game once considered cursed is finally, genuinely real.