More than a decade after Ubisoft fired him and took the rights to the game that would become Assassin’s Creed‘s spiritual successor, Patrice Désilets is shipping builds at a pace that would make most AAA studios blush. His studio Panache Digital Games produces between 15 and 20 internal builds of 1666: Amsterdam every single day.
“It’s an iterative process at Panache,” Désilets told PC Gamer magazine in issue 428. “Progression is more important than perfection.”
The remark lands differently given the game’s history. First conceived in 2011, development began at THQ Montreal in 2013 before Ubisoft acquired the studio, fired Désilets, and claimed the rights. Years of legal proceedings followed before Désilets reclaimed what was his. The game finally reached Steam Early Access in August 2026 — 15 years after its initial conception.
From Troubled Development to Daily Iteration
The 20-builds-a-day figure refers to internal iterations, not public updates. Players will not see new content daily, but the pace reveals a studio working intensively to address feedback and push toward version 1.0. In the first month since early access launched, Panache has already released two major updates, the second containing over 200 fixes.
The Steam page indicates the team expects roughly one year in early access before reaching full release, with multiple major updates adding content at regular intervals. A 1.0 launch on consoles is also planned, with Désilets confirming a good chance of a Nintendo Switch 2 version.
“We do between 15 to 20 builds a day. Progression is more important than perfection.” — Patrice Désilets
Four Phases of Expansion
The roadmap is structured around four distinct phases, each adding new districts, enemies, and story content. Currently, the early access build contains one district of Amsterdam and two Esbats — full-moon ritual missions where the protagonist Noa Brooklyn hunts the Originals, ancient entities that possess ordinary humans.
Three more districts are planned, each as large as the current one plus one even bigger. The game spans three time periods — 1666, 1999, and the present — with the 1999 segment described as small and mission-focused rather than a full open-world section.
AI controversy: Earlier this year, AI-generated assets were discovered in the 1666: Amsterdam demo. The team apologised and committed to removing all generative AI content before full release. Désilets stated the technology was used “in conception and pre-production” but that the team “won’t be using any AI anymore.”
A Very Personal Return
For Désilets, the project carries weight beyond typical game development. When asked whether he would ever return to the Assassin’s Creed franchise, his answer was firm: “No. I’m independent, I have my own studio. That time is kind of over.”
The statement closes a chapter that began with one of gaming’s most public creative disputes. Ubisoft’s acquisition of THQ Montreal in 2013 came with Désilets’ dismissal and the rights to his game. The subsequent legal battle lasted years. Now, with 1666: Amsterdam in players’ hands and daily builds pushing it forward, Désilets appears to have the last word — not through litigation, but through relentless iteration.
Whether that pace sustains through a full year of early access and a simultaneous console launch remains to be seen. But for a game that spent 15 years in development hell, the fact it exists at all — let alone with 20 builds arriving daily — feels like vindication.
