Assassin’s Creed Creator Patrice Désilets: “I Have Two or Three Games Left”

This industry update, recorded during Gamescom 2026, focuses on the evolving strategies of independent developers and major studios as they navigate shifting market conditions. The primary narrative centers on Patrice Désilets, creator of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, who is currently self-publishing his latest title, 1666: Amsterdam. Désilets expresses a desire to accelerate his development output, noting that at age 52, he estimates he has only two or three games left in his career. To achieve this, he is leveraging new internal toolsets to potentially work on multiple projects simultaneously, including future iterations of the 1666 intellectual property and further entries in the Ancestors series, which has sold 2.5 million copies to date.

The industry landscape is also marked by a transition away from traditional release models. Raccoon Logic, led by industry veterans Alex Hutchinson and Reid Schneider, has shifted its approach for its new 4v4 hockey title, Breakaway Hockey League. After finding that subscription-based services like Xbox Game Pass failed to drive significant post-launch revenue for their previous titles, the studio is adopting an Early Access model to foster closer collaboration with players and shorten development cycles.

Additionally, the report highlights the ongoing tension between digital and physical media. CD Projekt Red confirms that while it remains committed to producing physical, collectible editions for The Witcher 4, the company acknowledges it lacks influence over first-party manufacturing policies regarding physical discs. Broader industry data from Circana indicates that console hardware revenue has reached its lowest point since July 2020, driven by rising component costs and a cooling market. These insights reflect a broader trend of studios adapting to a landscape defined by subscription fatigue, the decline of physical media, and a heightened focus on player-driven development.