The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #045
The 1 Year Anniversary!!
Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!
Well folks, we’ve done it. Today marks 1 year since starting this crazy newsletter project. Since then, I’ve covered over 1,000 Video Game Book announcements and releases, I’ve interviewed dozens of authors, and I’ve been humbled by the over 3,000 amazing subscribers (and 5,000 followers). But that’s just the start! This past year, I also brought on many new volunteers, growing our team to 10, who’ve helped add thousands more books to the website. I’ve had to add another bookshelf to hold all the amazing contributions and donations. And we’ve seen triple the traffic coming in from outside North America.
Needless to say, this past year was a huge success to the Video Game Library. And, as if planned, this week makes up the biggest news week since starting the project. Nearly 40 announcements and releases to share with you all.
Reminder that, over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a short break from the newsletter, and Social Media in general, leaving the site in the capable hands of the volunteer team.
Be sure to share your most anticipated reads in the comments below or over in our Discord. Now, let’s get started!
📰 News & Highlights
![A minimalist book cover titled “A Communal History of [Metroidvania] Video Games” features a clean white upper section with bold black typography, while the lower portion displays a stylized, surreal landscape illustration: a dense forest of tall, thin, evenly spaced trees casting long shadows over reddish-brown ground, beneath which lies a cross-sectional view of an organic, cavernous underground filled with textured, root-like structures and numerous flat, circular red shapes resembling mushrooms or spores scattered across a teal-blue substrate; a tiny lone human figure stands near the boundary between surface and underground, emphasizing scale and isolation, while additional vertical text along the left margin lists notable game influences, contributing to an academic yet artistic tone.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!louJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff8e213c8-84c6-445d-81a8-2fd47cbfcb6d_1050x1610.webp "A minimalist book cover titled “A Communal History of [Metroidvania] Video Games” features a clean white upper section with bold black typography, while the lower portion displays a stylized, surreal landscape illustration: a dense forest of tall, thin, evenly spaced trees casting long shadows over reddish-brown ground, beneath which lies a cross-sectional view of an organic, cavernous underground filled with textured, root-like structures and numerous flat, circular red shapes resembling mushrooms or spores scattered across a teal-blue substrate; a tiny lone human figure stands near the boundary between surface and underground, emphasizing scale and isolation, while additional vertical text along the left margin lists notable game influences, contributing to an academic yet artistic tone.")
To kick thing’s off Lost in Cult’s A Communal History of Metroidvania Video Games has been announced as the first entry in its new writer-led genre-history series. The book promises a 50-year survey that ranges from pre-Metroid roots like Below the Root and Xanadu to modern landmarks and lesser-discussed Japanese indies. Loving all the Metroidvania we’ve been getting this year!
Also from Lost In Cult, Itchy, Tasty is returning in a revised edition. This one treats Alex Aniel’s Resident Evil history as more than a straight reprint, adding updated content, a new cover, and ten interior illustrations by Jean deMers, with a signed special-edition hardcover limited to 500 copies.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has now been novelized in English thanks to Anna Kashina and is the second volume in Dragonwell Publishing’s Books of Ys line. It is officially licensed through Nihon Falcom, and the setup follows Adol Christin’s arrest in Balduq and his transformation into a Monstrum after an encounter with the mysterious White Cat.
In some of the most exciting news (for me) the newly announced Indie Game Works looks like another of this year’s love letters to indie games. Nathan P. Gibson’s book runs 288 pages with 350 color illustrations and spotlights 50 games, including titles such as Tunic, Gris, Dredge, Planet of Lana, and 1000xResist. Read-Only Memory has the limited editions on sale now, with the general Thames & Hudson launch happening next month.
Dark Horse’s The Witcher Omnibus Volume 3 is now out in paperback, collecting the comics Witch’s Lament, The Ballad of Two Wolves, Wild Animals, and Corvo Bianco. The Witcher is always a weird one; is it based on the games or the books? Either way, this third omnibus is a particularly useful catch-up volume for readers who have missed the recent miniseries.
Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #3 reached shelves this week, again from Dark Horse, continuing the current Lara Croft miniseries by Casey Gilly and Antonio di Caprio. This chapter sends Lara deeper into the hunt for the titular relic which may hold world-altering power. It’s up to Lara to reclaim it before a secretive and familiar cult unleashes its true potential!
Street Fighter Masters: Karin, written by David Lumsdon with art by Tovio Rogers, puts Karin Kanzuki at the center of the Udon Entertainment’s long-running character-focused spinoff line. Karin has always sat at the top of high society... but now punk rock Silat fighter and fellow heiress Olive Ong threatens to take her down a peg! It’s a rich girl showdown in the Swiss Alps!
Thanks to Square Enix Books, this week we saw the English release of Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick, Vol. 3. Join Prince Arus across over 250 pages in his fight against Lord Imagine one hundred years after the events of the iconic Dragon Quest III video game. Volume 4 is coming up in June, so get ready for another awesome year for Dragon Quest fans!
Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree, Vol. 8 has now joined Yen Press’s English line, continuing Nikiichi Tobita’s gag-manga take on FromSoftware’s bleak fantasy. This entry follows close behind the recent Italian and Portuguese translations that I spotlighted in
Pro Gamer Presents: Best Ever Guide to Roblox is one of the week’s more overtly kid-facing game books. Continuing the long-running Pro Gamer Present… series from Pillar Box Red, this one is positioned as a tips-and-tricks guide built around popular Roblox experiences, complete with quizzes and fun-facts throughout.
A practical new addition to the gamedev shelf this week came in the form of Michał Mycka’s Games User Research Cookbook: Tools and Techniques for Better Player Experience. Rather than arguing for user research in the abstract, it’s framed as a methods book, collecting techniques and workflows aimed at improving player experience through testing and observation.
Generative AI for Game Development: Crafting Narrative Worlds with Machines is also out now from Apress. The book focuses on dynamic narrative design, procedural worldbuilding, and integrating generative AI into game development workflows with tools such as C# and Unity. This is definitely a hot topic these days, so I expect a lot more of these types of books to be rolling out this week.
PC Gamer Magazine #421 (UK) / #409 (US) has released this week. It leads with a cover feature on Star Wars Zero Company. The issue also folds in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, Resident Evil Requiem, 1348 Ex Voto, Darkhhaven, Mixtape, a feature on the best “Pubs” in PC games, and hardware coverage that includes AMD’s Ryzen 7 9850X3D and a group test of PC cases.
Heading over to France, Third Editions has announced their latest book Les Choix de Life Is Strange: L’empathie Par le Jeu from Léon Cattan. This book, scheduled to release in August, sets out to frame the series through empathy since the games’ identity has always rested as much on emotional and ethical perspective as on branching choice design.
Third Editions has also announced that they’ll be publishing the catalogue for the Philharmonie de Paris Musée de la Musique exhibition Video Games & Music. The exhibition runs from April 2 to November 1, 2026, and this illustrated catalogue brings together France’s leading specialists on the subject: Aurélien Simon, Fanny Rebillard, Jérémie Kermarrec, Pierre-Alexandre Rouillon, 440 Hz, and Valentin Chauvin.
Originally published as a 30th Anniversary one-shot by IDW, Sonic the Hedgehog: Amy Rose released in French by Vespa this week. Written by Ian Flynn, accompanies by the talents of Aaron Hammerstrom and Reggie Graham, this issue as Metal Sonic interrupting Amy’s picnic, and Amy using her fortune cards to rescue her friends and foil Dr. Robotnik before teatime slips away completely.
Total Jeux Vidéo #33 is loaded with spring preview goodness, anchoring the issue with a Saros cover and a feature on 40 upcoming games. It also folds in articles on Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Tomb Raider, and Echo Aviation, alongside review coverage that includes Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, Pokémon Pokopia, and Monster Hunter.
And wrapping up our French news this week, Jeux Vidéo Magazine’s April 2026 issue released, putting Assassin’s Creed up front, using the cover story to look at the series’ future and Ubisoft’s direction. Also inlcuded is a feature on 40 years of Zelda, current Pokémon coverage, Starfield’s prospects on PS5 through updates and DLC, and previews and reviews of Pragmata, Crimson Desert, Resident Evil Requiem, and Marathon.
While Cinco Duros: La historia del videojuego en España para todos Vol. 3 officially releases in April, people are alreadys starting to get their hands on this one, so figured I’d cover it before heading off on vacation. Diego Vargas Pardo’s latest volume covers the years 1990 to 1993, continuing Dolmen’s detailed reconstruction of Spanish video game history in an accessible, year-by-year format.
Heading across to Spain, Panini Books has now released Christie Golden’s World of Warcraft: Midnight – Lazos de Sangre in Spanish. Great to see this Warcraft novel continue to reach more readers across the globe!
And over in Italy, Star Comics keeps its Italian Minecraft manga line moving with Minecraft: Viaggio ai Confini del Mondo Vol. 8. In this volume, Nico and his friends finally reach the fearsome Ender Dragon. Will they be able to claim victory!?
Speaking of Minecraft in Italy, LEGO Minecraft: L’Avventura Nell’End is the Italian translation to the Seek & Find Sticker book, and the next in a line of translations. We even got a Bulgarian translation coming in the next 2 weeks.
Pokémon Universe #16 from Panini Press in Italy released this past week, marking the 2nd release of the year. Umbreon and Pikachu grace the cover, and in addition to 32 pages of Pokémon goodness, readers can also look forward to a Squishy Diary gift, shiny Pokémon cards from the Scarletto e Violetto: Corona Astrale set, and 2 posters.
And rounding out the Italian news, this week’s Retro Gamer Italia April-May 2026 issue goes heavy on Capcom’s fighting-game legacy, tracing the company’s impact from Street Fighter II to Capcom vs. SNK. Other features include Shadow of the Colossus, Diddy Kong Racing, Final Fight, Half-Life, Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, Mastertronic, classic PC gaming, and Stuart Whyte’s journey from X-COM to Fable.
The new play5 #229 for May has arrived as the latest installment of Computec’s PlayStation-focused monthly. As usual for the magazine, the emphasis is on the PS5 ecosystem, with the focus on the new Crimson Desert, as well as Resident Evil Requiem and Star Trek: Voyager.
PC Games Hardware 05/2026 is also out now from Computec for German readers, continuing the publisher’s long-running focus on enthusiast PC components. I’d attempt to provide some helpful context, but this is an area of gaming I know NOTHING about, and that cover looks pretty self-explanatory.
Polish gaming magazine CD-Action has opened pre-orders for a new special issue devoted entirely to RPGs. The standalone edition runs 144 pages and promises all-new material on series including Baldur’s Gate, The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Cyberpunk, Fallout, and Mass Effect.
And while we’re in Poland, worth noting the Boss Fight Books love. 3 new entries in the “Game Story” series from publisher Open Beta have been released, covering Mike Drucker’s “Silent Hill 2”, Darius Kazemi’s “Jagged Alliance 2” and (one of my favourites) Reyan Ali’s “NBA Jam”.
Minecraft – Rudit – Kniha samolepek is the latest Czech Minecraft children’s title from Albatros Media. As the subtitle makes clear (to all the Czech speakers out there), this one is a sticker book, complete with over 100 items, mobs and characters from the game.
Sweden’s Robot No. 2/2026 is another bright, all-ages gaming magazine with a broad Nintendo-and-beyond spread. This issue includes Mario sports coverage, tips for building a Pokémon paradise in Pokopia, 25 Fortnite tips, Minecraft’s cute new animals, features on Animal Crossing and Mega Man, a Virtual Boy piece, and posters for Mega Man, Minecraft, Pokopia, and Mario.
Pokémon: Virallinen Pelilehti 2026-02 is the latest Finnish installment of the official Pokémon magazine line. Like its sibling editions elsewhere in Europe, it sits in the child-friendly licensed-magazine space, combining short features, activities, and collectible-style extras around current Pokémon branding.
Bunny Garden & Hebereke Bunny Garden Official Visual Fan Book is an illustration collection from Kadokawa built around the two Bunny Garden games. Alongside key visuals and new cover art by Kazune Inui, the book includes character-setting drawings, casual outfits, swimsuit and Golden Bunny costume material, and stills from notable scenes.
Also from Kadokawa, Guardian Tales Official Character Collection has finally arrived this week after slipping from its earlier schedule. Framed as a fourth-anniversary book, it gathers character visuals from the game’s first four years, packed with visuals of 170 characters. This is a must-have book for fans of Guardian Tales.
The Kadokawa train continues with Heaven Burns Red Official Artworks Vol. 3, a substantial new art book for the mobile game, covering style illustrations and setting art from August 2023 through December 2025. It also adds more than 50 extra pieces, including exhibition and collaboration artwork, and the print edition comes with an in-game serial-code bonus.
takt op. 運命は真紅き旋律の街を Official Artworks preserves the visual side of a game that has already gone offline. The book collects artwork from the smartphone title, including character illustrations by LAM and previously unreleased material featuring additional Musicarts.
PSO2 ニュージェネシス せんとらるっ! 4 from publisher MUGENUP continues the official comic spinoff for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. This volume keeps its focus on the lighter daily-life antics of the Central girls and NPC cast, and the print edition includes item-code bonuses such as lobby actions and stamps.
はる! ガーテンオブバンバン: はってはがせるシールブック is being billed as Garten of Banban’s first sticker book in Japan. It includes more than 200 reusable stickers and activity pages built around locations and motifs such as restaurants, the sea, car racing, and dress-up play.
And finishing off with a Japanese mainstay that’s appeared in all of the newsletters - Famitsu #1941 (Apr. 9, 2026). This issue is led by a big cover feature on Hyperdimension Neptunia ∞ (Unlimited), introducing its new goddesses, world, and gameplay details. It also includes release features for Etrange Overlord and Okayu Nyumu! R, plus additional coverage of Life is Strange: Reunion, Winning Post 10 2026, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion, Shadow Labyrinth, Elden Ring: Nightreign, Super Robot Wars Y, Curse Warrior, Screamer, and Until Then.
Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid 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!
📚 Behind the Shelves
Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloguing challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.
First thing’s first! I mentioned above that our volunteer team has grown, and I want to make sure all of you fellow readers head on over to the About Page on our site to learn more about these amazing folks who keep the site growing. What a team!
The Discord community was busy this week with recommendations, and one in particular (from community member, “MPX”) took up the better part of my week. A flurry of Slavic-language books; from Slovak to Slovene and Croatian to Serbian. Loved getting these catalogued.
While working on those, I realized that I missed out on cataloguing the Sonic the Hedgehog IDW graphic novels in Bulgarian. So those got added as well!
Speaking of Sonic…Stephen on our volunteer team continued down the IDW single issues, making it all the way down to #47. I don’t know the entire roster of Sonic characters, but I do get excited every time I see The Chaotix on the covers!
Alex is our resident Megaten guru, and has been hard at work cataloguing some guidebooks and art books from the series. I still haven’t played Persona 2, but I’m VERY interested!
Just when you think we’ve catalogued every single EverQuest Prima Guide, Fran finds more. Another wave added just this week!
The Portuguese train continued this week, of course thanks to João, who did an amazing job with the Old!Gamer books! Dozens of books added to the site yet again! João is an absolute machine.
Nathanial was all about the Pokémon manga this week, cataloguing the “Sun / Moon” and “Alpha / Sapphire” runs. These colorful covers make for gorgeous additions to the site.
And a big thanks to Justin for his continued push on the Sierra front, discovering even more point-and-click guidebooks from yesteryear to catalogue.
This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.
💡 Book Spotlights
Every week I like to zoom in on a few standout books from the collection. Sometimes it’s brand new releases, other times it’s older gems that deserve more love.
If you’re looking for deeper dives and not just quick headlines, check out some of these past spotlights:
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - REDO FROM START (USA & JAPAN)
Andrea Pachetti (2025); Microzeit Publishing; Non-Fiction, Game History
"I had originally intended to start with the CRACKER books, but Paul Norman’s eyes….they drew me in."
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - A Brief Legal History of the Video Game (Une Brève Histoire Juridique du Jeu Video)
Geoffray Brunaux (2025); Mare & Martin; Non-Fiction, Game History
"...sets out to recount the history of the video game industry, not through sales numbers or nostalgic releases, but through the courtroom battles that helped define one of the world’s most influential entertainment sectors."
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - The Best Life Adventure Games
Jupiter Hadley (2025); Pen & Sword Books - White Owl; Non-Fiction
"The Best Life Adventure Games isn't just a catalogue. It's a love letter to the art of slow, thoughtful play."
🙏 THANK YOU for Reading
That’s a wrap for this week’s Newsletter. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.
As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.
And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.
Until next time — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)
Congratulations for this milestone, and thanks for pointing out the Ys IX novelization effort!
Cool newsletter really!!