Video Games
First Developer Diary Entry Released for Dark Fantasy Action Title ‘1666: Amsterdam’ [Watch]
After making a surprise reveal at Summer Game Fest, Panache Digital Games has gotten the ball rolling on the first entry in the new developer diary series for 1666: Amsterdam. The first episode, entitled “The Vision: The Real City That Became a Myth”, takes viewers behind the creative vision of the game, exploring how the team transformed the real streets of Amsterdam into a world shaped by mystery, superstition, and hidden truths.
The diary reveals how the entire studio travelled to Amsterdam in 2024 to study the city’s streets, canals, architecture, sounds, and atmosphere firsthand. Rather than relying solely on historical references, the devteam immersed themselves in the city’s environment to better understand its scale, rhythm, and character.
The diary also delves into the game’s exploration systems, including the ability to enter houses, traverse rooftops, and navigate the city alongside a feline companion, creating multiple opportunities for discovery and player choice.
“Inviting the studio to Amsterdam was, at its core, about sharing something,” explains Patrice Désilets, Panache Digital Games Co-Founder & Creative Director. “We gathered everyone and said: come into your game. Come experience it the way I did.”
Set to launch into Early Access on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, 1666: Amsterdam centres around the eponymous city that was built on wealth, power, and sheer will, but now fuelled by a sinister force it did not forge. Entities known as The Originals have lived for centuries, granted time, granted power, and the freedom to abuse both. That power is now owed. Noa Brooklyn was born The Collector, raised by the Zaindaris for a purpose she did not choose: taking that power back.
Take part in Noa’s Commencement as she inherits the mantle of the Collector. Unravel a mystery that spans centuries. Choose the companion that will walk beside you. Follow the traces left behind in a city shaped by secrets, power, and memory.
Bobby Prince, the composer who provided the soundtracks to legendary titles such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Doom II, has died. Prince’s family confirmed the composer’s death late last week at the age of 81. No cause of death was released.
id Software, the company that gave Prince his first job in the industry, paid tribute to the composer, referring to him as a “video game music pioneer”.
Indeed, in addition to providing the soundtracks to id Software’s hits in the FPS genre, Prince also provided the soundtracks to other id Software classics, such as portions of the scores for Commander Keen series and the forerunner to the modern FPS, Catacomb 3-D. Prince also worked with Apogee Software and 3D Realms, providing the soundtrack for Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, and teaming with Lee Jackson for Rise of the Triad and Duke Nukem 3D.
Prince’s death comes just after the Library of Congress announced back in May that his soundtrack for Doom would be preserved in the National Recording Registry.
The soundtrack for Doom and its sequel took inspiration from designer John Romero‘s collection of CDs at the studio, which included the likes of Alice in Chains, Pantera, and Metallica. In spite of the limitations composers faced with the sound cards of the era, Prince was able to replicate riffs from songs like “Master of Puppets” and “Painkiller” for tracks like “At Doom’s Gate”, the iconic opening track for Doom‘s first level, E1M1.
For Doom II‘s soundtrack, Prince continued to employ the same tactic, lifting rifts from songs like “Sex Type Thing”, “After All (The Dead)”, “South of Heaven” and more.
In addition to composing, Prince was also a practicing lawyer, and had pursued a career as an attorney before making his way into the video games industry.
Prince is survived by his wife Connie, and his sons, Robert Caskin Prince IV and Andrew (Cristy) Prince.