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Patrice Désilets vows to make a sequel to Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
Patrice Désilets, creator of Assassin's Creed and director of 1666: Amsterdam, has confirmed he intends to make a sequel to his 2019 survival game Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, which he originally conceived as a "volume one" in a planned series. Despite earlier assumptions that publisher Private Division held the rights, Désilets says he owns the IP himself, though he described the situation as "complex". The move matters because it signals a long-term commitment to expanding a title that was divisive on release but still built a substantial audience.
Ancestors, which followed humankind's evolution across millions of years, was praised for its ambition but criticised as clunky, though it went on to sell two million copies by April 2024. Désilets has, however, prioritised 1666: Amsterdam, an early access title with a troubled, gen-AI-linked development history that currently holds a "mixed" Steam rating from just 720 reviews and is estimated to need roughly another year to reach full release. He said the game's foundational work is largely complete and a clear production plan is now in place, but any Ancestors sequel will have to wait until 1666: Amsterdam is finished — and its prospects may hinge on that game's success.
In short
- Désilets confirms he plans an Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey sequel
- He says he owns the IP, despite past publisher assumptions
- Sequel depends on finishing and success of 1666: Amsterdam first
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A sequel could fulfil Désilets’s original plan for Ancestors as the first part of a larger story, building on a game that sold two million copies despite mixed reviews. With the creator saying he owns the intellectual property, continuing the series may let him develop its ambitious account of human evolution on his own terms.
The case against
Désilets has said 1666: Amsterdam must be completed first, and its development has been troubled, with a mixed rating from a relatively small number of Steam reviews. Committing to a sequel before that game is finished could stretch the studio’s resources and risks repeating the clunky execution that divided players, even if Ancestors found a substantial audience.
Explained simply
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a survival game about early human ancestors adapting and evolving over millions of years. It was praised for its ambition but some players found its controls and systems awkward; by April 2024, it had sold two million copies. Patrice Désilets, its creator, is also known for his work on Assassin’s Creed.
Désilets has described Ancestors as the first part of a planned series. He says he owns the rights to the game, although the arrangements around them are complex. The publisher Private Division was previously thought to hold those rights.
Désilets is currently focused on 1666: Amsterdam, another game he is directing, which is still in early access. He says work on its foundations and production plan is in place, and that it needs about another year before full release. That makes the timing and prospects of a follow-up to Ancestors dependent in part on what happens with 1666.