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.