Panache Digital Games just got the message hammered into them: players will not tolerate AI slop in their witchy action-adventure, even if it's just prologue leftovers. After the Summer Game Fest reveal of 1666: Amsterdam turned sour when fans spotted generative AI assets in the playable demo and marketing art, the studio apologized, promised human replacements, and now director Patrice Désilets is swearing the tech is completely gone from the pipeline.

Désilets told GamesRadar+ that any AI use was confined to conception and pre-production, then "totally removed" before the early access launch on August 25. The Steam page for the game has no AI disclosure, and the prologue's placeholder assets are being swapped out. But earlier Eurogamer coverage from an Amsterdam preview event showed Désilets admitting they were "still using AI tools" at that point, just "less and less," which makes the total ban feel like damage control more than conviction.

The backlash was instant and vicious—players roasted the "oversight" from a team claiming over a dozen human artists, and early access reviews are sitting at Mixed with complaints about clunky combat and polish on top of the AI drama. This comeback story for Assassin's Creed co-creator Désilets just keeps getting tainted by the same shortcut culture that killed trust in the first place.

Rocco's verdict: burn the generators, or burn the studio's credibility. No middle ground.