Panache Digital Games has announced that 1666: Amsterdam will be released into early access on August 25 for Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Polygon reports. Eurogamer puts the early access price at $30.
The studio was co-founded by Patrice Désilets, the creator of Assassin's Creed and creative director of its first two entries. Development on 1666: Amsterdam began in the early 2010s while Désilets was at THQ Montreal, and the project survived years of legal disputes between Désilets and Ubisoft before being formally revealed again at Summer Game Fest in June.
The game is a narrative adventure split between two periods, 1666 and 1999. Players control the witch Noa in 1666, investigating the city's secrets, and a civilian named Aaron in 1999. Magic binds the pair, so Aaron becomes Noa's cat familiar in 1666 while Noa becomes Aaron's familiar in 1999, and a modern-day descendant of Noa explores the story from the present.
Accounts of how much game the early access build contains differ. In a Steam update, Panache said the version includes the first piece of the campaign and runs about 15 hours; Désilets told Eurogamer the early access release offers roughly 10 hours, less than half of what the studio wants the finished game to deliver. Panache expects early access to last about a year, with several major updates planned along the way.
The launch follows a poorly received free demo released alongside the Summer Game Fest announcement. Polygon's Ford James wrote that the demo showed an interesting theme that could not be saved by its gameplay and writing, and concluded that after 15 years the game needed to go back to the drawing board.
The studio also confirmed that the demo used generative AI for some in-game portraits and external marketing assets, and said the early access and full versions will not include any assets generated by AI.
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