Highlights

  • Xbox Game Studios may be working with Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets on a new project.
  • Rumors suggest a 2026 or 2027 release window for the game, which is reportedly being developed in Unreal Engine 5.
  • While details are scarce and Microsoft has not confirmed anything, fans are eager for news regarding this exciting collaboration.

Respected leaker eXtas1s has claimed that Xbox Game Studios' next game could be spearheaded by Assassin's Creed creator Patrice Désilets, co-founder of Panache Digital Games. Désilets served as creative director for Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, but also directed Ubisoft's 2003 action-adventure Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Panache Digital Games, which Désilets​​​​​​ co-founded with JeanFrancois Boivin, released its first-ever video game, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, in 2019. Now, a team-up with Panache Digital Games and Xbox seems likely.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey remains Panache Digital Games' only project thus far, but rumors have circulated that Patrice Désilets​​​​​ could be working on a new game to be published Xbox Game Studios. Due to creative differences, Désilets left Ubisoft in June 2010. After a year-long hiatus from the gaming industry, he joined THQ Montreal, where he worked for two years on a project known as 1666 Amsterdam. Désilets​​​​​ led a team of almost 50 people in his endeavors, but the unfinished game remained in development hell. THQ went bankrupt in 2012 and was acquired by Ubisoft. Again, Désilets​​​​​ was let go due to a disagreement with his contract. Following his departure all those years ago, Ubisoft returned the 1666 Amsterdam rights to Désilets​​​. Many rumors speculate that Désilets​​​​​' upcoming game could be 1666 Amsterdam or at least some variation of it, but this is all conjecture.

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Leaker eXtas1s announced on Twitter and shared a report to the forum eXputer, where they claimed that Xbox had signed a contract with Panache for the distribution of a new game. Images shared by game developer Johanna Pirker (whom eXtas1s references for evidence) show what appears to be the loading screen for the untitled project. Further information confirms, presumably, that the game is being built in Unreal Engine 5​​​​.​​​ In addition, the report mentions an insider source who has reason to believe that Panache is planning a 2026 or even 2027 release window for the title.

New Report Projects 2026/2027 Release Date For Panache's Next Project

Microsoft has yet to make any official statement regarding the rumors, which should be taken at face value until a more concrete announcement is made. While eXtas1s has a track record for reliable information, it sounds as if the project is still a ways away from completion, so nothing is set in stone. Private Division, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, published Panache's Ancestors, but the company has yet to reveal a partnership with Panache on this upcoming title. This could be due to Take-Two Interactive's ongoing cost-cutting efforts as it thins out its subdivisions.

An estimated release date of 2026 or 2027 means that, unfortunately, details regarding Panache's next passion project will be few and far between for a while. Information will likely be scarce until either Xbox Game Studios breaks the news or the reveal comes straight from the horse's mouth, be that Désilets​​​​​ individually or Panache as a collective. For the most part, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey received mixed reviews, so it remains to be seen if Panache Digital Games' next outing will be worth the wait.