Assassin's Creed Creator's Studio Still Using AI Tools on 1666: Amsterdam, Despite Earlier Promise

Panache Digital Games, the Canadian studio co-founded by Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets, says it is still using AI tools during development of its upcoming game 1666: Amsterdam — albeit "less and less."

Désilets made the remarks during a gameplay presentation in Amsterdam on 11 August 2026, answering a question from a small group of press. His comments come just two months after the studio apologised and promised that AI would not appear in the finished product.

The controversy began earlier in 2026, around the game's playable prologue — a free early slice released on PC. Players spotted signs of generative AI in in-game paintings and in marketing materials, and the backlash was swift. On 10–11 June, Panache confirmed that AI-generated assets had been included in the prologue and issued an apology, stating the assets would be replaced (Eurogamer; IGN).

At the time, the studio declared that AI use would not find its way into the full game. Désilets has now reiterated that commitment: the final product will contain no AI-generated content. He explained that some assets in the prologue pipeline had not been "retouched enough" — meaning the human artists' hands had not sufficiently reworked the AI output before it shipped. Since then, he said, Panache has ensured there will be no AI anywhere in the game.

So why is the studio still using AI tools at all? Désilets said their main advantage is speed — producing something quickly. But he added that the team needs the tools less and less as development progresses. The distinction he drew is between using AI as a development aid and shipping AI-generated content to players, two things he treats as separate.

1666: Amsterdam is a third-person action-adventure game about witches, cats and time (Gamefile). The roughly 70-person team at Panache has been working on it since 2020. During the early Covid lockdowns, Désilets overhauled the game's premise from a story about a devil's apprentice to one centred on a witch.

The project's funding has attracted its own curiosity. 1666: Amsterdam is funded mostly by a secret party, rumoured to be Xbox, which Désilets would neither confirm nor deny (Eurogamer).

For players, the tension is straightforward. A studio promised no AI in the finished game. The studio says it is keeping that promise, even while AI tools still touch the development process. The prologue that sparked the backlash is one thing; the full game, which has no confirmed release date beyond a reported Early Access target of 25 August 2026, will be the test.

What makes this stand out is the gap between a clean apology and the messier reality behind it. AI tools that help a small team move quickly are not the same as AI art that players see on screen. Désilets is drawing that line himself. Whether players accept it may depend on what 1666: Amsterdam looks like when it finally arrives.