Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey came out earlier this year after a very long development cycle. It’s a bit of a head scracther and one that many players are still trying to figure out (you can read our review here). The game’s Creator, Patrice Desilets, is thinking about the game and its upcoming updates, but it’s not the only thing he’s got in his head, as there’s another long stewing project he seems to finally be able to do.

In an interview with Wccftech, when asked about what was after Ancestors, Desilets said it’s very likely that he will return to 1666 Amsterdam, something that he announced a long time ago but seems to have never gotten off the ground due to rights issues surrounding the project. It also could look significantly different than when he first pitched it due to his new experiences and new upcoming tech.

“I’ve been talking about [1666 Amsterdam] since I got the rights back to it. Yeah, I want to make that game. The chances that it’s my next one are really, really high. In my head, I started it. I went back to what I designed in 2011 and 2012 and said, what do I want to do? Now it’s the game after Ancestors and not Assassin’s Creed II. I’m a different person and designer and have a new team, so it’s going to change.

Ancestors is going to be how Panache does games in the future. That’s our signature. So…1666 will not be an easy game. Eventually I’ll announce it for real. The elevator pitch is really simple — do you want to play the devil in 1666 Amsterdam by the guy who did Assassin’s Creed and Ancestors?”

The game was at one point announced, but then got stalled due to a rights battle that Desilet eventually won. All that was really known about the game was that you would play as the devil in, you guessed it, 1666 Amsterdam. What the game will end up looking like is anyone’s guess, but we’re still probably in for a decent wait.

Amsterdam 1666, an open world game about the devil stalking 1666 Amsterdam, has a strange history. It started out as a game to be published by THQ Montreal (not to be confused by the current, controversial publisher that took over the name – THQ Nordic – Montreal was part of the original THQ that went defunct), but ended up in the hands of creator Patrice Desilts’ former employer, Ubisoft (Desilts is also one of the original creators of the Assassin’s Creed series), which led to a lengthy legal battle over the IP’s ownership– which he ended up winning. There hasn’t been much said about the game since that case was settled, but Desilts was at Reboot Develop recently, and said that the game is definitely going to happen.

While he and his team are hard at work on Ancestors, another game that we haven’t seen much of, Desilts still sees Amsterdam 1666 in his future and thinks his current project can inform a lot of the work to be done.

“You put the cape on the ape and you’re pretty good to do another game,” Desilets explained while speaking with VG247. “If you think about it, climbing up a tree trunk, climbing a rock, climbing a building façade… It’s like now I’ve got a toolbox.”

“Now I am thinking about it a little bit,” he added. “It’ll probably change a little bit. You were more like the devil’s apprentice than the actual devil. Once I finish this and then, ‘Okay what’s next?’ If it’s Amsterdam 1666, I’ll probably restart from scratch.”

Of course, when that will be is anyone’s guess, but at least Desilts seems confident that the game will come out some day, even if it’s doubtful it’ll be any time remotely soon.

The mysterious 1666 Amsterdam, the new IP by Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets, who started it with THQ, lost it to Ubisoft in a dramatic and ironic twist, before finally regaining rights to the IP, has long been an enigma- but just recently, gameplay footage from the game released, that indicates that it definitely was in active development at one time, and more than just a name or title.

Désilets also confirmed on Twitter that he does plan on returning to the game and developing it at some point in the future (which makes sense, or else why would he have fought so vociferously for rights to it?). Which is good news, because the unreleased footage we have is definitely intriguing.

You can check out this footage for yourself below. For now, Désilets is working on Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey, his next game with Panache Digital Games- so even if 1666 does happen, you shouldn’t expect to see it any time soon.

@DracoADG pas vrai ça on le fera en temps et lieu…:)

— Patrice Desilets (@PatriceDez) April 26, 2016

In 2007, Patrice Désilets worked with Ubisoft to deliver what would go on to become the French publisher’s largest franchise ever- Assassin’s Creed. After a few years, however, he ended up leaving Ubisoft, and decided to join THQ to work on his new project, 1666 Amsterdam. In a cruel twist of irony, however, THQ went bankrupt and 1666 and all related resources and personnel ended up being bought back by- Ubisoft, who promptly fired him, while retaining the rights to the IP.

This led to a protracted lawsuit that now seems to have found a peaceful resolution. In a joint statement released by Désilets and the publisher, the two parties confirmed that Désilets will now have full business and creative rights over the IP. In return, he will be withdrawing his lawsuit against Ubisoft.

“I’m glad Ubisoft and I were able to come to an agreement that will allow me to obtain the rights to project 1666 Amsterdam,” said Désilets. “I will now devote myself entirely to the development of Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey, my next game with Panache Digital Games. This is what matters most to me today: making the best games and showing the world the creative talent of Quebecers. I also wish every success to the Ubisoft teams.”

Yannis Mallat, Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft Montréal and Toronto, commented: “Putting aside our past differences, Patrice and I are above all interested in the creation of video games and the evolution of this medium of entertainment. This agreement is good news for everyone. Ubisoft’s creative teams are currently working on innovative projects that will mark our industry for years to come. This is precisely where we want to focus our energy, on our teams, to continue what we have been building in Quebec for nearly 20 years. As we have always said, Patrice is a talented designer and we wish him all the best in the development of his future endeavors.”

What this means for 1666 remains to be seen, especially since Désilets is currently working on another project. Still, I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief at the realization that whatever 1666 turns out to be, it will not have towers that need to be climbed to unlock portions of the map.

In 2007, Patrice Désilets released Assassin’s Creed, a brand new IP that would go on to become Ubisoft’s flagship franchise in just a few short years. Désilets would go on to leave Ubisoft eventually, and would join up with American publisher THQ, with whom he would work on a new IP- 1666: Amsterdam.

However, fate has a sense of irony, and THQ would go bankrupt, leaving its properties to be hawked to any takers. As luck would have it, 1666 would be picked up by Ubisoft, bringing Patrice Désilets right back into the fold. Désilets would later be fired shortly afterwards, but Ubisoft would retain the 1666 IP- an IP that would then go silent.

That silence has been broken now, however- a new trademark filing (dug up by DualShockers), filed at the US Patent and Trademark office (USPTO) on April 13 by Ubisoft seems to be specifically for 1666 (it appears as though ‘Amsterdam’ has been dropped from the title). It seems as though Ubisoft has not yet forgotten about this IP- could this be their new IP debut at E3 this year, where they have traditionally been known to end their shows by taking the wraps off of a new game?

If it is, we’ll find out soon, because E3 is not just under two months away.

“I believe we need a revolution in subject matter. It has been four E3s that I’ve gone to, and it’s always the same thing. I get it: we all like space marines and shooters, but come on, we need to talk about something else.

“We’re still talking about these things because the medium is really in its infancy. It’s so much easier in terms of production and coding to just blow stuff up than to create an interaction about human beings. It’s so much more subtle than killing. Eventually we’ll get there, and it’s really a shame that I cannot finish 1666, because it was about all of that.”

Of course, while the overwhelming success of Call of Duty mean this trend won’t be ending any time soon, at least games like The Last of Us are attempting to work outside the medium and do things somewhat differently. What does the future hold with games like Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – which are trying to do things differently while still pleasing the crowds – though? We’ll soon find out.

(Source)

Apparently, Desilets and Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallet discussed the development of 1666, and also the former’s prior arrangement with THQ. Needless to say, it was the beginning of many disagreements with the developer.

It became so bad that company CEO Yves Guillemot said to that THQ had given Desilets “too much creative freedom” because they were desperate (and given the company’s eventual collapse, that may not be far from the truth). There were no changes to the previous arrangement despite many negoatiations and Ubisoft eventually fired Desilets on May 7th. It then suspended development on 1666 indefinitely.

In an official statement, a Ubisoft representative said, “As stated before, the acquisition of THQ Montréal in January allowed Ubisoft to welcome 170 experienced developers to our existing and renowned workforce.

“Unfortunately, the discussions between Patrice Désilets and Ubisoft aimed at aligning Patrice’s and the studio’s visions were inconclusive. We received Patrice’s legal request and will address it in court. We will make no further comment at this point.”

Stick with us as the drama develops further.

Source: La Presse via Polygon