The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #001
70 Spanish surprises, Game Boy guides o' plenty, Final Fantasy mythology and a spotlight on Art Books with a special guest!
Welcome to the very first issue of The Video Game Library Newsletter! It feels surreal to finally be putting this together after building the site for the past three years. Whether you’ve stumbled in out of curiosity, or you’ve been following the project for a while, Thank You for being here.
This newsletter is my way of pulling back the curtain — sharing what’s happening behind the scenes on this project, spotlighting newly catalogued books, highlighting a ton of news and authors from the world of video game literature, and revisiting obscure gems from the archive. My hope is that this becomes not just an update, but a resource, and eventually, a small community space for anyone passionate about the intersection of books and video games. If you like that idea, please consider sharing.
Since it’s the very first issue, I wanted to make sure everyone could enjoy it. My hope is that if you find value in this — the news, the discoveries, the passion behind it — you’ll consider supporting the newsletter for just $2 a week to help keep this project alive and growing. Paid subscribers will get access to every single Weekly issue going forward, packed with the latest news, freshest finds, behind-the-scenes insights, reviews, interviews, and plenty more - plus a few exciting surprises coming up.
So what exactly does this first week entail?
Let’s just say… I stumbled into a surprise 70-book series, fell down a Game Boy rabbit hole, and found a new reason to look at Final Fantasy VII a little differently. Plus, a great interview with the most knowledgeable Art Book guy I know!
Let’s dive in!
📚 Behind the Shelves
This week marked the 3-year anniversary of The Video Game Library. “Over 10,000 books in 25+ languages” — it’s a phrase I feel like I’ve been repeating forever. New books are added daily, yet the next big milestone of 20,000 still feels like a distant goalpost. I had romanticized the idea of entering our 4th year with some grand fanfare, but the truth? It was just another normal week — and maybe that’s okay.
My focus this week was split between two major tasks.
First: Back in 2023, I had catalogued 10 books from a new Spanish series called Videojuegos Legendarios ("Legendary Video Games") published by RBA. It featured the usual suspects — Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Sonic, Tomb Raider — you get the idea. This week, I discovered they didn’t stop at 10... they’re closing in on 70 hardcover books! Seventy books about your favorite franchises! Even more surprising, RBA Italia is hot on their heels with the Italian translation counterpart, Videogiochi Leggendari. This has to be AI, right? How could a publisher churn out quality hardcovers this quickly? But a fellow Discord member picked up Issue #50 (Mortal Kombat), and confirmed — it’s legit, and the reviews all around seem to be glowing. Needless to say, my work was cut out for me, and I managed to tackle about half the series this week. You can check them out here.
Second: I also fell down the rabbit-hole of Futabasha’s Game Boy Perfect Strategy Series (ゲームボーイ完璧攻略シリーズ). This detour started thanks to a Mario Picross manga Skyevlyn shared in our Discord. I was reluctant at first — reconstructing cover images from low-res Japanese e-commerce shots is painstaking — but I couldn’t resist. I ended up cataloguing over 20 issues, covering everything from Mario and Metroid to Fleet Commander and Shin-Chan. It’s an eclectic little series, and you can view them here.
Beyond those, other highlights this week included cataloguing the aforementioned Mario Picross books — a mix of manga and activity books based on the series’ various iterations. Plus, with the latest Nintendo Direct, I added a few books tied to recent announcements: a Patapon 3 strategy guide, an AI: The Somnium Files Special Agent Edition art book, and while there weren’t many books connected to the “cozy” games from the Direct, we did sneak in the three latest Animal Crossing: New Horizons Deserted Island Diary volumes.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s little behind-the-scenes dive. I'd love to hear from you — what else would you like to see behind the curtain? Does this chaotic methodology match what you imagined? Let me know in the comments below!
📰 News & Highlights
There’s been a flurry of exciting announcements in the world of video game literature — here’s a roundup of what’s new and noteworthy!
The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has been officially announced by Kojima Productions in partnership with Titan Books. Scheduled for release on November 11th, 2025, five months after the game's June launch, the artbook is set to feature 256 pages, matching the length of the previous Art of Death Stranding. While cover art and full details are still under wraps, fans can likely expect a deep dive into the game’s characters, environments, and technologies, much like its predecessor.
This week marks the final week that Van Burnham’s reissued and remastered version of Supercade: A Visual History of The Videogame Age (1971-1984) is on Kickstarter. It promises to build off of the the original, with upgraded print features and new content throughout. As someone who owns and loves the first edition, I can wholeheartedly say — it’s worth supporting!
Although it went relatively unmentioned in most circles, Henk Rogers promoted his upcoming autobiography, “The Perfect Game - TETRIS: From Russia With Love”. This one, from Di Angelo Publications, is right around the corner, with a scheduled release date of April 1st. No doubt another great addition to the recent onslaught of industry icon memoirs.
Also from Titan Books, The Art of Endless Legend 2 has been revealed and is slated for release on December 30th, 2025. This 240-page hardcover will feature concept art, detailed scenes, and commentary from Amplitude Studios, exploring the game’s factions, landscapes, weapons, and more. It follows last year’s well-received artbook for the first Endless Legend title — and it looks like they’re not wasting any time continuing the tradition.
Hybrid Publications has officially announced ON: Volume Two, the follow-up to last year’s acclaimed debut of the premium video game magazine ON. The new volume will feature in-depth pieces on PlayStation, ‘90s horror games, Pokémon, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Zelda, and music games, penned by some of the most respected voices in games media. Described as a celebration of gaming’s past, present, and future, ON pairs thoughtful writing with bold, experimental design in a high-quality print format. A Special Edition is also available, allowing readers to choose their own cover and one of nine handcrafted slipcases — designed to elevate the magazine into a collectible, luxury experience.
Hot off the heels of their latest Ultros project, Lost in Cult posted a neon pink beacon of hope this week. “Time to mix drinks and change lives”. Looks like they’ll be diving into the world of VA-11 HALL-A! More to come on this one soon!
Insight Editions has announced Borderlands: The Official Cookbook, launching July 29th, 2025, just ahead of the release of Borderlands 4. This 152-page hardcover brings the chaotic world of Pandora to life through recipes inspired by the series' characters, enemies, and locales — including dishes themed around Tiny Tina, Claptrap, Lilith, and more. Written by Jarrett Melendez and Jordan Alsaqa, the book will feature step-by-step instructions, full-color photography, and exclusive character artwork.
In the world of comics, Cyberpunk 2077: Issue #2 from Dark Horse Comics hit store shelves this week. This is the 2nd entry of the 4 issue run, which is also being collected in a TPB.
This coincided with the trade paperback release of Cyberpunk 2077: Kickdown. This one collects all 4 issues in the Kickdown run and is the latest TPB in the Cyberpunk series.
Also coming out of Dark Horse Comics On is Minecraft: Out of Order - Vol. 1, a new graphic novel adventure set in the Minecraft universe. Admittedly Minecraft will likely have a permanent spot in these Weekly updates, just because of the sheer amount of books that get published, but comment below if it’s your jam.
After years of being out of print, and brand new updated version of Super Nintendo Legends is finally up for pre-order from the brilliant minds at Gamepress. For all you Spanish speakers out there, you’re going to want to check this one out.
Did I miss something cool? Want to see this layed out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community. Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!
💡 Recommended Read of the Week
Norse Myths That Inspired Final Fantasy VII by M.J. Gallagher
For this week’s recommended read, I wanted to highlight a book that, despite focusing on one of gaming's most famous titles, still managed to surprise me. This isn’t just a book for Final Fantasy VII fans — it’s a book for anyone who loves when mythology, symbolism, and video games collide. Even after decades of revisiting FFVII, this book gave me something I didn’t expect: a genuine sense of rediscovery.
I’ve always considered myself in the top percentile when it comes to Final Fantasy VII lore and love. It’s my favorite game of all time — one I’ve played, watched, and dissected countless times over the years. Yet, M.J. Gallagher’s book managed to refill my inner-compendium with countless new facts and thought-provoking seeds that have relit the fire of discovery for a 25-year old game.
Final Fantasy’s Norse inspirations have always been apparent. Surface-level nods to deities and concepts are scattered throughout for anyone paying attention. But Gallagher’s book doesn’t settle for surface-level — it digs deep, and then deeper still, offering a fresh perspective and enough imaginative sparks to send even the most seasoned fans down new rabbit holes.
Sure, some interpretations are speculative — and to Gallagher’s credit, he’s upfront about this — but his ability to turn vague similarities into compelling parallels caught me off guard time after time.
Take Midgar, for example. Most fans recognize it as a nod to Midgard, the Norse realm of men. Historically, that's about where my analysis would end. But Gallagher keeps going. Yggdrasil, the world tree of Norse mythology, is split into three realms: the heavens, the mortal realm, and the underworld. Sound familiar? The Plate, The Slums, Deepground. Or how about the nine worlds of Yggdrasil — reflected by the nine sectors of Midgar? At the top, in the heights of the Shinra Building (Valhalla, if you will), reside the “gods” of the story, watching over their creation. Even SOLDIER, forever training and returning to battle, begins to echo the warriors of Norse legend, resurrected to feast and fight again.
What once felt like a simple source of inspiration has now become a foundational element of Final Fantasy VII's world-building.
I’d love to sit here and spill every detail I uncovered after finishing the book, but I’ll leave those surprises for you. If you’re someone who cherishes Final Fantasy VII, or simply loves reading about mythology, I highly recommend this book. It will make you see a 25+ year-old game with entirely new eyes.
You can find details about Norse Myths That Inspired Final Fantasy VII here
💾 From the Archives
Each week, I’ll dive deep into the shelves of The Video Game Library to spotlight a hidden gem or forgotten series — with the hope of surprising you with something new, unexpected, or long overlooked. This week, I wanted to share…
…A Heartfelt Picture Book Collection
The Kirby All The Time series (translation up for debate) is a charming collection of beautifully illustrated picture books that bring the lovable world of Kirby to life, with heartwarming tales starring Kirby and his friends.
These books first started getting published in 2021, but the frequency started to wane after the first few entries, and after a year-long hiatus, the 11th volume is just now being published.
From peaceful bedtime routines in Good Night Kirby, to festive adventures in Kirby's Star Gift, and everyday joys in Delivering Thanks, each story offers a comforting blend of innocence, friendship, and wonder.
As you can see from the covers, the pages are filled with gorgeous illustrations by celebrated artists like Rurutea (Koupen-chan), Karameru, and Hyogo Nosuke.
You can find the whole series catalogued right here.
✨ Community Interview
This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with The Artbook Collector, a staple resource for The Video Game Library and an absolute cornerstone of the artbook community. If you’ve enjoyed any of the artbook news or updates featured above — you can thank him. His incredible knowledge and dedication to the medium constantly amaze me.
Beyond running his indispensable website, he’s also behind a fantastic YouTube channel where he shares flip-throughs. I’m excited to share this interview and give you a glimpse into the passion behind one of the best resources in gaming literature today.
Could you introduce yourself and share how The Artbook Collector got started? What made you decide to turn your passion into a public resource for other collectors and fans?
“Sure! I’m Conor, a 30 something year old nerd from England. I have a variety of interests, but gaming is certainly the biggest one, with an appreciation for the art behind them too. In 2023 I decided to start a YouTube channel for artbook flip throughs, the type of videos I was using myself for previews. My collection was large enough that I could post often and help others discover them too. It grew to social media, where I share news and photos. The latest expansion was the Artbook Collector website that was published in January for news and reviews. I thought why not try something there is a gap in the market for!”
You mention gaming is your biggest interest. Was there a specific book or gaming moment that marked the beginning of your personal collection?
I saw some art for God of War II in a magazine around 2006 and was amazed by it. I looked online for more and discovered concept art, along with artists like Charlie Wen, Andy Park and Ryan Meinerding. In 2010 I came across The Art of God of War III online and was now earning my own money, so I ordered it from Ballistic Publishing and loved the book. It then began to snowball…
How much has it snowballed since that first book?
I currently have over 350 artbooks for games, movies, animation and more. I bought artbooks for my favourite games at first. Soon after, it extended to any I had played and also movies and shows too. Eventually I was collecting artbooks for the love of artbooks, so now I’ll even pick them up for things I haven’t played or seen if I think they will have great art!
With such a broad range of books, what does your process look like when discovering, sourcing, and cataloging these new artbooks?
As I’m sure you know, this is tough! The majority of what I buy and post about are new releases, so I follow publishers on socials and check websites, including your own, for what’s coming. It’s often a lot of searching and spotting more on suggested lists. For artbooks in general, there’s no go to place for finding news and updates and it can be easy to miss them. I fortunately have people point them out to me too, which is very helpful.
The sheer amount of books and places to look is growing fast! In your view, how else has the video game artbook scene changed in recent years? Any trends or shifts you’ve noticed?
Video game artbooks often come much later than the launch of the games. Some still come out alongside them, but most are now 6 months to 3 years later. For example, of the 18 I bought for video games that released last year, only 2 were released within 6 months of the game they were based on. It’s been this way for a few years, I’d love to find out why.
A new video game artbook every 3 weeks is wild! What makes an artbook truly stand out to you? Are there certain qualities that separate good from great?
For me, a great artbook has content that covers all aspects of the game and at various stages too. Things like early sketches, unused designs, key art, development art and storyboards, along with interesting insights, is what I hope to find. Simply showing the final design doesn’t do much for me personally, especially in an ‘Art of’ book.
Use of space is also a big one that I mention in my reviews for a reason. Every page should be filled and easy to read, with thoughtful placement of the art and text. Wasted space and bad design can really ruin a book. Crediting each image to an artist is also important, not just listing the names in the back.
What’s one trend or feature that you'd love to see happen more often in the world of artbooks?
I adore seeing unused characters, environments and ideas, but also understand that developers may want to hide these away for potential future use! The Art of Journey had a very cool augmented reality phone app that allowed you to scan certain pages and have designs appear in 3D above the page. More unique ideas like this would be fun too.
Oh that’s cool! Do you have any favorite underrated or overlooked artbooks you think deserve more attention?
It's hard to pick because there are so many! Instead, I will say that there are many games I didn’t personally like or were not well received in general, that have superb artbooks. The Art of Anthem and The Art of Evolve come to mind as examples. A bad or unsuccessful game doesn’t take away from the talent of the art team, so it’s worth checking out a preview of the books and picking them up if you like what you see.
Where do you hope to take The Artbook Collector in the future? Any goals or dream projects you’d like to pursue?
Right now, it’s to grow the website, it is still early days, so I’d love to not just increase traffic, but also make connections with publishers and developers to get interviews and insights into the art and books. I’m an outsider to the world of game development, publishing and journalism, which means I’m learning as I go and can approach it as a fan, whether that’s a benefit or not remains to be seen!
I’d love for this passion to become a part time job that I can do alongside something else to support myself. The pipe dream is to contribute to the release of an artbook myself!
I think we’d all benefit from seeing your presence grow! Where can people find and support you?
You can find me on X under @theartbookguy and on Bluesky under @theartbookguy.bsky.social for pictures and updates. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel, ‘The Artbook Collector’, and visit the website as it continues to grow for news, reviews, upcoming books and more at www.artbookcollector.com!
Thanks for your time, Conor!
🙏 And THANK YOU for Reading
That’s it for the very first issue of The Video Game Library Newsletter. If you made it this far — thank you! My hope is that, week by week, this space becomes something special for avid readers, collectors, researchers, game fans, and anyone who simply discovering new books.
If you enjoyed this issue, consider dropping a comment below, sharing it with a friend, or even joining our Discord community to swap book recommendations, talk shop, or just hang out. And if you spotted a book or bit of news I missed — let me know! I’d love to feature community tips and finds in future issues.
See you next week,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)