1666 Amsterdam Developer Apologises for AI Assets in Playable Demo, Promises No AI in Final Game

1666: Amsterdam, the new action-adventure title from Assassin's Creed co-creator Patrice Désilets, was revealed at Summer Game Fest last week. Just days after the announcement, however, the game has run into an AI controversy. After several users accused developer Panache Digital Games of using AI-generated assets in 1666 Amsterdam, the studio has acknowledged the concerns and apologised, promising no AI-created assets in the final game.

The generative AI assets in question were spotted in the game's key art, as well as the free 30-minute playable prologue section available on Steam and Epic Games Store. Following backlash from players, Montreal-based Panache Digital Games, founded by Désilets in 2014 after he left Ubisoft, admitted that early versions of some assets made using generative AI, had slipped into the game's playable prologue demo.

“A number of people have raised questions or concerns to us about whether assets in our marketing and game use generative AI,” the studio said via its X account on Wednesday. “We have a dedicated team of over a dozen talented and experienced artists. With them, we looked into the assets in question and found that there were indeed some early versions of assets that made their way into the prologue. This includes some in-game portraits and external marketing assets.”

Panache said the assets were under review and would be replaced by human-made versions in a future update “soon”.

“We own up to this oversight and apologize for any upset caused. Please be assured that the Early Access and full game will not include any assets generated by AI,” the studio added.

1666 Amsterdam is a third-person story-driven action-adventure title set in — you guessed it — Amsterdam in the year 1666. The game follows the story of Noa Brooklyn, a Collector who wields witchcraft to uncover demonic entities amidst humas. 1666 Amsterdam features distinct day and night experiences, allowing you to investigate and explore the city and uncover its demonic secrets.

The game will release in early access on PC in 2026, with console versions coming later. The playable prologue demo, which introduces the world, characters, and the central themes of 1666: Amsterdam, is live right now on Steam and Epic Games Store.

Crazy Taxi, Tomb Raider Face Backlash for AI Use

1666 Amsterdam is not the only game revealed this past week to be mired in an AI controversy. Sega's Crazy Taxi: World Tour was revealed at Xbox Games Showcase on June 7 and quickly faced backlash after the game's Steam page came with an AI generated content disclosure. Sega said it utilised generative AI as a support tool for developers allowing them to focus more on creative tasks.

“We have used such generative AI support tools during development of Crazy Taxi: World Tour. No AI was used in reference to the performers in the game,” the studio clarified in the AI disclosure section of the game's Steam page.

The same story played out in the case of Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, which got a new trailer and release date confirmation at Sony's State of Play event last week. The game's Steam page confirmed AI-assisted tools were used during development. Develpers Crystal Dynamics Flying Wild Hog said AI-made assets were later either replaced or refined by humans to maintain the creative and artistic vision of the development team.

Following backlash, Crystal Dynamics assured players that the final product would be “human-crafted”.

“At Crystal Dynamics, we leverage AI tools to help our teams iterate on ideas faster and more efficiently, while ensuring that all finished content in the final product is human-crafted,” the studio said in a statement. “Our goal is to empower the creativity and flexibility of our developers to deliver the highest-quality experiences for players everywhere.”