The 1666 Amsterdam AI Art Controversy has already forced Panache Digital Games to change course after players noticed AI-generated artwork in the game’s free prologue.
Creative director Patrice Désilets later confirmed that the team had used AI tools during development for temporary visual assets. Some of those images then made it into the public build.
Players noticed them quickly.
Désilets said the studio had become so used to seeing the placeholder art that it did not stand out internally anymore. Once the criticism started, Panache removed the assets and said the final game would use original artwork instead.
That is probably the right move, especially with Early Access so close.
The Timing Could Not Be Worse
1666: Amsterdam is set to enter Early Access on August 25, so this is not the kind of argument the studio wants hanging over the game right now.
The project was shown again at Summer Game Fest 2026 after spending years out of the spotlight. A free prologue followed soon after, giving players their first proper chance to try it.
That demo has already had a mixed reaction.
Some players like the setting and the strange supernatural ideas. Others have pointed to bugs, performance problems and the short amount of actual gameplay.
The AI art issue added another problem on top of that.
At least Panache did not try to drag the argument out. The studio admitted what happened, removed the artwork and moved on.
For a game heading into Early Access, that matters. Players are being asked to trust the team while the project is still unfinished, so ignoring feedback this early would have looked much worse.
1666: Amsterdam Has a Familiar Name Behind It
A lot of the attention around the game comes from Patrice Désilets himself.
He is best known for helping create the original Assassin’s Creed and also worked on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time before later starting Panache Digital Games.
Panache’s first game, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, was very different. It focused on survival, exploration and human evolution rather than historical cities and stealth.
1666: Amsterdam brings Désilets closer to the kind of setting people still connect with his older work.
The game mixes historical locations with supernatural powers, stealth and roguelike elements. Players take control of Noa and can find different abilities during each run, which means the same approach may not work every time.
That gives it a different identity from Assassin’s Creed, even if the historical setting naturally invites comparisons.
The AI controversy is not going to define the whole game on its own.
But it does show how closely people are watching 1666: Amsterdam before Early Access even begins.
Panache has already fixed the first problem players called out.
Now it has to prove the rest of the game can hold up once more people get their hands on it.
Add Comment