The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #039

The BIGGEST NEWS WEEK YET!!

Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!

Some thoughts and a favor.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself scrambling last-minute to get these Newsletters out in time for you. This week was supposed to be different. I kicked off the shell of the Newsletter on Tuesday, and at a steady pace through Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I slowly built out the news reel… and yet here we are, on Monday again, and I’m STILL adding the finishing touches.

This week turned into the biggest week in Video Game Book news since starting this project. There’s just so much happening right now, particularly in the indie space, and I’m doing my best to spotlight it all.

I often chat with community members who ask about the “state of print.” Sure, the strategy-guide fever of the 90’s has faded. And the days of Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation and Microsoft magazines front-lining the newsstands (at least here in Canada) are long gone. But weeks like this, with nearly 30 big releases, have me wondering if gaming actually has a bright future in print. A lot of the best stuff is coming from the broader literary world, and it’s been so exciting to watch.

One thought that’s been sticking with me this week as I revel in all the news: who’s reading this? Specifically, I wonder if any more prominent gaming news outlets rely on this Newsletter to help craft their headlines each week. I’ll drop the Newsletter, and then over the next few days I’ll see the same books start to pop up elsewhere with much the same coverage. I wouldn’t be mad, I’d be flattered. I’d thank them for helping amplify the books. Thank them for bringing more aspiring readers into the world of video game literature.

If that’s you, or if you know someone at a bigger outlet who should be paying attention, please do me a favor and shine a light on The Video Game Library’s work. Share the Newsletter, tag an editor or gaming outlet, forward a link, mention it to someone who covers games for a living. It’s a win for all of us.

And if you do, let me know.

Anyways, enough of my rambling. You’re here for the new stories. So buckle up!

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📰 News & Highlights

• I want to start off with Lost In Cult this week. I just received their Ultros: Design Works, and it was a great reminder of how incredible their work is at truly spotlighting developers. They return to the headlines this week with a new physical EDITIONS announcement. Now, we of course don’t cover game releases in this blog, but lucky for us, every physical edition comes bundled with an awesome 40-page booklet. In this case we have the Arranger Essay & Dev Interview Booklet from Dave Proctor. Still a ways out before this one starts making it onto fan shelves, but it’ll be great to see this collection grow beyond 10 issues.

  

• On top of that, there have been pages popping up all over about Lost In Cult’s upcoming Arcade Adventures: An Ultimate Anthology of Arcade Gaming. There’ve been no official announcements here, from either the team at Lost In Cult, or Harper Collins, so it’ll be interesting to see when this one gets a spotlight. This one will look great alongside The Console Chronicles, A Handheld History and Joysticks to Haptics.

  

• Lots of exciting comic and manga news this week as well. Far Cry: Cull the Herd #4 was released last Wednesday, as the climactic finale of TOKYOPOP’s original Far Cry comic miniseries. This issue raises the stakes by trapping the group in a brutal storm and pitting them against a relentless Bloodfang Sabretooth, forcing them to confront not only the monstrous predator but also an impossible choice that threatened to tear the team apart. Written by Ryan Nichols and illustrated by Caterina Bacchelli, this series is slated to be compiled in a TPB later this year.

  

• I’ve really been enjoying the latest Archie Comic cross-overs. And while the Army of Darkness issues from Dynamite have been dominating most of the headlines, the Archie Game Galaxy one-shot subtly got a release date of April 29th. This follow’s last year’s Archie & Friends: Level Up!, and like that issue, has multiple covers paying homage to the world of video games. Which cover will you be picking up? The correct answer is ALL 3!!

  

• Now the blue blur has long moved on from Archie Comics, but makes a speedy return to this week’s newsletter with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog: On The Go, Vol. 2 from IDW. This compilation volume collects issues #13–20 from volumes 4 and 5 (Infection and Crisis City) of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the 2019 Annual, and the Tangle and Whisper four-issue miniseries.

  

• The first installment of the year, and the 25th graphic novel in the lineup, Plants vs. Zombies: It's a Dogz Life from Dark Horse Books has released. For once, instead of causing trouble, Zomboss is in trouble and needs help finding his missing dog! As usual, this one is brought to you by the amazing talents of Paul Tobin, Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau, Heather Breckel, and Steve Dutro. Any fellow readers still playing this game?

  

• Also hitting shelves this past week was Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet, Vol. 4 from VIZ Media. It continues the manga adaptation of the hit Nintendo Switch games with an adventure across Paldea. As the fourth entry in Hidenori Kusaka and Satoshi Yamamoto’s Scarlet & Violet series, it follows racer Violet Lang and treasure hunter Scarlet Koito as they power up their teams and inch closer to uncovering the truth behind the legendary Pokémon Miraidon.

  

• Also in manga news Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Octavinelle, Vol. 2 has just arrived in its new English edition, opening Night Raven College’s doors to even more readers. Stranded in the strange world of Twisted Wonderland, Yu must outwit the smooth yet menacing Azul after a dangerous deal robs Grim and their classmates of their free will. I finally made the decision to download this game this week on iOS, and have been dabbling. I’m not very far, but am already so much more fluent, which will really help me in cataloguing these.

  

• Raiford Guins and MIT Press have just released King PONG: How Atari Bounced Across Markets to Make Millions. It sets out to explore how Atari’s 1972 PONG helped launch the video game industry, why it still endures today, its success through product positioning, market development, and category creation, showing how it shaped our relationship with technology.

  

• In a flurry of posts from Yen Press this week promoting their upcoming lineup, two announcements in particular caught my eye. The first was the announcement of an audiobook for Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication. The Yen Audio imprint does some good work, and it’s exciting to see them continue to branch out.

  

• And the FromSoftware love continues with the long-awaited English translation of Elden Ring: Distant Tales Between #1. Originally published last year in Japanese, the manga has since swept the globe getting translations in French, Italian, German and beyond. It recounts alternate tales of the Lands Between, spotlighting the ‘could-be’ lore of the world’s characters. I’m glad to see Yen Press picking this one up!

• The rumor mills are churning this week, with some mysterious postings online for the Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Remaster Art Book. Appearing on several sites, some even with the “Resynced” subtitle, but most notably was the Amazon listing. Release dates range from July 2026 to December 2027, so there’s not much to go on here, but I think we can all safely expect an announcement to come soon.

  

• Over at Limited Run Games, the Collector’s Edition for Darwin’s Paradox has gone on pre-order this week. And while it doesn’t come with a beefy Art Book, there is a nice mini art booklet included, that we’ll go ahead and shout out for this week’s newsletter.

  

• At Strictly Limited Games, JaJaMaru: Legendary Ninja Collection has started shipping. This love letter to classic ninja action is packed with Japanese-inspired collectibles, a premium puzzle-style box, OST, origami shuriken, posters & most importantly for this blog: the JaJaMaru: Legendary Ninja Collection Material Book.

  

• And from Eastasiasoft, Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~ started shipping this week, which means bookshelves across the globe have been getting a new addition in the form of The Art of Hakuoki SSL ~Sweet School Life~. This artbook is coming bundled with the game’s limited edition.

  

• Let’s get into some of the indie projects and publications. Polish author Łukasz S. Kowal has announced their new book SHELL Method: Mental Framework for Survival in Solo Game Development. Slated to hit shelves next week, this books sets out to promote a calm system for sustainable productivity, and will be published with both English and Polish versions.

  

• For fans of the brick-breaking roguelike, Mondrian - Plastic Reality, developer Danny Silvers has just announced that not only is it getting “The Last Exhibit” update, but there is also a paperback guide called The Definitive Guide to Mondrian Maker and Mondrian Studio that’ll be sold at Barnes & Noble later this month. It includes an in-depth look at the game’s toolsets and how to use them to make your own Mondrian creations.

  

• Jamie Lendino is back with his 7th book to grace the catalogue. Frenzy: The Colecovision Games That Brought the Arcade Home released on Feb. 10th and explores ColecoVision’s arcade-perfect games, brief rise and fall, and modern revival via fan mods, repairs, and homebrewing.

  

• And in similar news, a new Kickstarter has just started, and has blown past its goal! Bootblock Rebels: The Hidden Stars of the Amiga Underground invites backers to help bring a lavish, 200+ page hardcover history of the Commodore Amiga cracking scene to life. The book dives into the underground world of legendary cracking groups from 1985–1996, packed with interviews, images, screenshots, and first-hand stories about zero-day releases, BBS culture, rivalries, and the hidden economy behind cracked games.

  

• Rounding off the Kickstarter news, we teased this one back in Vol. #35 of the newsletter, but as of this week, Masters of Unlocking: A Resident Evil Retrospective is now live! This book is a a celebration of 30 years of Resident Evil, featuring every mainline game, spin-off, remake and film.

  

• After a successful crowdfund in June 2025, SEGA fans are now receiving Sega Mania #9. The cover feels timely with Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and Wolverine all spotlighting the X-Men. This 84-page issue covers early 1996 with features like “The Year of 1996,” “Know Your Enemy,” and a 5th anniversary history of the mag. It also includes an exclusive Panzer Dragoon art print by Simon Pike and extensive Saturn, Mega Drive, Mega CD, and 32X reviews, including X-Men: Children of the Atom, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Sega Rally, Guardian Heroes and more.

  

• Retro Game Books has announced 2 more books on the near horizon. First one is From Pixels to Prose: What Video Games Taught Me About Storytelling by Nadia Oxford. Not much has been announced beyond this amazing cover art from Phil Summers, but looking forward to getting this one catalogued!

  

• The second is I Am Not Good: The History of Cheating in Video Games by Nate Drake. Similarly, there’s more to come in terms of details, but in the meantime, enjoy the cover art from Melo!

  

• And before moving on from English, I want to give a big congrats to Darren Hupke (interviewed here) for the successful Kickstarter on his 32 Bit Library Greatest Hits 1. Been a big fan of his PlayStation compendiums, and this spin-off installment is a chronological love letter to 50 PlayStation Greatest Hits, packed with essays and 900+ screenshots across 344 pages for true 32-bit nostalgic.

  

• In Spain, GTM has once again has a trio of covers lined up for their March release of Games Tribune Magazine. Only 2 have been revealed so far thought. The first one appropriately showcases Crisol: Theater of Idols from Spanish studio “Vermilia Studios”. The 2nd celebrates Pokémon’s 30th anniversary and, of course, Pokémon Pokopia. Any guesses on what the 3rd one will spotlight?

  

• And if you end up subscribing to the Gold Tier or higher over at GTM, this month you’ll receive the brand new PlayStation: Gris Infinito for FREE! Written by Abelardo González, this is the third entry in the GTM³ Especiales dedicated to video game consoles, joining the company of Gamecube and Dreamcast.

  

• Now for all those Héroes De Papel fans (raises hand while typing), we got a double whammy this week. The first release was the long anticipated Castlevania: El Manuscrito Maldito. Thanks to translator José Manuel Aguado, this original French publication celebrating 30 years of Castlevania is finally available for Spanish readers.

  

• Hard to imagine a Castlevania being the 2nd coolest thing to come out of a publisher in a week, but leave it to Héroes de Papel to introduce this powerhouse! El Enemigo Interior: Parasite Eve y la Evolución Mitocondrial is an analysis of every entry in the Parasite Eve saga, unpacking its iconic moments and key themes. This franchise hasn’t received nearly the amount of literary love it deserves, so a big thank you to Ramón Méndez González for this one!

  

• And finally, for Spanish readers, Héctor Hierro has pulled together years of research to officially launch 1001 Curiosidades de Pkmn: 1ª Generación. Diving deep into the 1st (and best) generation, this book explores Kanto, its characters, mechanics, and the original 151 Pokémon.

  

• Pre-orders have launched for S!CK 032 - Prince of Persia: Les Fables du Temps! This French, cross-culture magazine makes its newsletter debut with this issue, covering the rich legacy of Jordan Mechner’s Prince of Persia. It dives into the original classic through modern titles like The Sands of Time, The Rogue Prince of Persia, and The Lost Crown, with longform interviews and stunning commissioned illustrations that celebrate how games come to life behind the scenes.

  

• Heading down to Italy, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger #13 gets its Italian translation thanks to Nicola Angaran. Searching for clues about the resurrection magic, Shogo and his friends engage in a fierce battle with Alexander to save the Gold Saucer from destruction. These Italian editions are often some of the first to be translated, so no doubt Spanish, German, English and others will follow soon.

  

• Minecraft: Eine Reise Zum Ende Der Welt #9 hit shelves on February 11, 2026 from Egmont Manga, bringing the ninth chapter of Niko’s adventures to German readers. It’s the German edition of the original Japanese manga “Minecraft – Sekai no Hate no Tabi” by Kazuyoshi Seto, translated by Gandalf Bartholomäus, and it promises plenty of Creepers, zombie curses, and a high-stakes trek to the very edge of the Minecraft world.

  

• And continuing the Minecraft spoils for German readers, Der Minecraft Code (Band 3) - Jagd nach dem kostbaren Erz released this week. This is the German translation, courtesy of Hagen Hamm and Loewe Verlag, of Gauthier Wendling’s original French publication, Minecraft: Échappe-Toi! En Chute Libre!

  

• Another year, another 8 issues of Pokémon: Virallinen Pelilehti on the horizon over in Finland. This past week saw the first release. Pokémon magazine offers loads of fun for newcomers to the world of Pokémon as well as long-time fans and enthusiasts.

  

• Moving over to Japan 空の軌跡 the 1st 公式ビジュアルコレクション has just been released, giving Trails in the Sky fans a brand-new official art book to dive into. This large-format, 160-page collection from KADOKAWA gathers package illustrations, ending art, character designs, enemy and item artwork, storyboards, and even Steam achievement icons into one lavish volume. It also fully compiles the game’s “Active Voice” text, including rare conditional dialogue, making this a celebration of the lead-up to the recent the 1st Switch release and a treasure trove of world-building details for long-time Zemuria travelers.

  

• The new issue of Weekly Famitsu 週刊ファミ通 2026年2月26日号 No.1935 is out now, packed with in-depth coverage of Yakuza Kiwami 3 and the brand-new side story Dark Ties, plus a producer–director interview and special 20th anniversary cast talks. It also features a look at the co‑op survival horror REANIMAL and a full introduction to Mario Tennis Fever with its easy controls and new ways to play.

  

• Shogakukan’s trend magazine, DIME, doesn’t often make headlines in The Video Game Library, but this issue is too good to ignore. DIME’s April 2026 special edition DIME (ダイム) 2026年 4月号増刊 celebrates the 20th anniversary of Sega’s Yakuza / Like a Dragon series with a major feature. Inside is a deep dive into the franchise’s evolution, why it’s loved worldwide, and what’s next. You’ll also find exclusive interviews with Like a Dragon Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama, producer/director Ryosuke Horii, and Takaya Kuroda (voice of Kazuma Kiryu) on the creative choices and “rules” behind a long-running hit, plus coverage of anniversary collaborations and upcoming merchandise.

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!

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📚 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.

Admittedly, most of this week was spent on the Newsletter, so any site-work on my end was just keeping up with all of the amazing announcements.

Just a handful of all the books announced and released this week

Luckily, the volunteers have been keeping things moving with some great new Prima Guides, Art Books and Game Dev books.

Some of the additions made by the amazing volunteer team

And there’s been a few amazing donations to the collection this week. Here are some of the highlights:

• Ultros: Design Works - LostInCult

• Little Nightmares: The Lonely Ones - E.C. Myers

• Forgotten Worlds #7 & Forgotten Worlds #8

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.

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💡 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:

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🙏 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 week — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)