1666 was going to be "the new Assassin's Creed"

1666 was to be "the new Assassin's Creed" before the project was placed on hold indefinitely, according to creator Patrice Désilets.

The IP has been through a rough development process, being conceived at THQ Montreal before Ubisoft acquired the studio earlier this year.

All development on the game has now been stopped and Désilets' acrimonious relationship with Ubisoft is set to continue for the foreseeable future.

"It was to be the new Assassin's Creed," he told GameReactor Spain. "The first year was to built the team, to study [the historical era], but also to create a new IP."

The gameplay was a big focus point as Désilets was trying to create something different from the norm.

"It was not easy because I was not making a little guy jumping around with swords, and I was not making a shooter. I was trying something different again, to push the boundaries."

He also claimed that there was a chance for historical references in 1666, much like the kind we find in Assassin's Creed, and spoke about Rembrandt as a famous icon that could have been featured.

"Rembrandt was still alive in 1666, died in 1669. I took one of his most famous paintings, The Philosopher, and put it in the design documents - so I referred to this matter, more or less."

Désilets is currently fighting to gain full control of the IP from Ubisoft so that development can resume.