The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #027
New FF7 stories, an Elden Ring epic, Amnesia’s haunted history, canceled classics resurrected, and cocktails straight out of Diablo...game books have never gone this hard!
Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!
Rolling into another incredible week on the news front! Some VERY unexpected and exciting news for FFVII fans (my phone is lighting up with notifications as I type this). As well as a bunch of GameStudies and guidebooks, art collections and even a Diablo-themed cocktail compendium. A little bit of everything covered this week.
Behind the scenes, the momentum hasn’t slowed either. Our volunteers have been digging into catalogue tasks big and small; tidying up tags, charting their way through sprawling manga series, and tackling massive GameDev collections. Their work continues to make The Video Game Library a stronger, more searchable, and more complete resource for everyone who stops by.
If you spot something we missed, want to see these updates organized differently, or feel like sharing what you’re reading/playing, drop a comment here or hop into the Discord. This community thrives on your curiosity and your conversations!
Alright, let’s jump into this week’s highlights!
📰 News & Highlights
I promise you’ll find something of interest in the news stories that follow! This month has been one of my favourites of the year, and it just keeps getting better!
Big news!! This week, Square Enix has unveiled Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth - Dear Destiny, a new novel from Kazushige Nojima following Aerith, Tifa, and a young Cloud in the days before the game’s events. It picks up after the departure of the Guardian Angel from the church and traces the fateful moments that spark their intertwined paths in the Sector 7 Slums.
Lost in Cult has announced their latest Design Works project - Amnesia: Design Works slated for 2026. It’s a four-volume exploration of the creation of The Dark Descent and its sequels. Packed with interviews, unseen concept art, and development history, the collection finally gathers the franchise’s scattered lore into a definitive archive.
Pre-orders have wrapped for Jacob Geller’s latest essay collection “You’re Not Overthinking It” from Lost In Cult, which reexamines his most intense and challenging video essays through lenses of art, philosophy, and politics. The book expands each piece with annotations, new artwork, and thoughtful afterwords from acclaimed writers and creators.
Everything Is Permitted: On Assassin’s Creed, Cameron Kunzelman’s long-awaited study of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, is now out. It dives into its historical settings, conspiratorial storytelling, and evolving design. The book connects the series’ themes of freedom, control, and identity to the larger landscape of modern game franchises. Lots of anticipation on the socials surrounding this book, so I’m glad to see it finally released!
A cool new Polish edition of The Games That Weren’t has been announced, adding 40 pages and nearly 30 cancelled Polish games to an already extensive archive of unreleased titles. This expanded volume digs into decades of behind-the-scenes stories, lost prototypes, rare assets, and interviews with legendary developers. Highly recommend this book - and the social media account as well!
The fan-made, Splatoon-inspired Order.EXE instruction booklet has fully funded on Kickstarter, with days still remaining at the time of assembling this newsletter. Designed to mimic classic game manuals, the booklet blends playful artwork, Side Order tips, and stylish layouts sized to slip neatly into a Switch case.
Diablo fans can now get their hands on the official cocktail book from Insight Editions. Diablo: Drinks, Potions & Elixirs - Cocktails and Provisions from Sanctuary features more than 60 themed drinks and provisions. Complete with lore, photography, and special-effects mixology, it transforms Sanctuary’s potions into real-world concoctions for any gathering of adventurers.
Third Editions’ English release of The Monumental Elden Ring: FromSoftware’s Magnum Opus digs deep into the game’s long development, GRRM’s influence, and the evolution of its systems. The book culminates in an exhaustive reading of Elden Ring’s lore, highlighting the themes that have cemented it as a landmark in modern fantasy. I’m glad to see more of Third Editions’ extensive French catalogue continuing to get the English translation treatment.
Jodi A. Byrd’s new release “Indigenomicon: American Indians, Video Games, and the Structures of Dispossession” examines how games - from Assassin’s Creed to Animal Crossing - encode settler-colonial structures while also offering potential avenues of resistance. Drawing from Indigenous, Black, queer, and feminist studies, the book reframes how game worlds reflect histories of dispossession.
In obligatory Minecraft news, Minecraft Escape Rooms has arrived from Farshore this week with thirteen imaginative builds designed to challenge and inspire creators. Each scenario, whether zombie prison or haunted mansion, comes with tips from expert builders on redstone tricks, map design, and clever puzzle construction.
And that dovetails nicely into Japan, with TV Game Magazine’s latest Minecraft mook Discover Minecraft’s Secrets Through Quizzes (てれびげーむマガジン ゲーム大図鑑 クイズでわかる!マインクラフトのヒミツ). The fun activity book sets out to teach readers on how to become a Minecraft expert through interactive questions!
Japan has received The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st The Complete Guidebook this week, covering systems, maps, combat breakdowns, and detailed progression charts. The physical edition also includes a bonus Estelle costume code, making it the most complete companion for the remade classic.
And also coming out of Japan, Kadokawa has released the fourth official guidebook for Livly Island, expanding its catalogue of unique creatures and detailing new species like the Plasterin. The book also showcases collaborations, limited-time items, and developer commentary that enrich the alchemical world fans adore.
Continuing with Japanese guidebooks, the new Momotaro Dentetsu 2 Official Guide Book released from Famitsu this past week. I’m not familiar with this series, but sounds like it details the stations and properties in both the East Japan and West Japan editions, as well as the events, historical heroes, local monsters, and cards.
And finally from Japan, the Persona 3 Reload Official Design Works book from Famitsu has officially released this week. This collection gathers the vast array of illustrations, UI designs, concept art, and early sketches created for P3R and its expansion content, Episode Aegis.
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 cataloging challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.
I’m always saying how rewarding it is to run this site, but the past couple of weeks have felt extra special. The new BOOK SPOTLIGHT features have been a highlight, and seeing authors enjoy them and share them around has been incredibly energizing. Thanks so much for the support!
Upon browsing this week, I realized that, somewhere along the way, we changed our Tagging for Palgrave Macmillan books from #Palgrave to #PalgraveMacmillan. This had our catalogued split, with half the books in either camp - so spent some time this week re-cataloguing all of them correctly. What a collection!
Tommy on our volunteer team has been an absolute legend in the world of Splatoon literature, working hard on getting all of the manga properly catalogued on our site. Making great progress this week!
And speaking of volunteers, Leslie has had another amazing week cataloguing more of the (never-ending) Wordware collection of GameDev books. This is quickly becoming one of the largest collections catalogued on our site!
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 spotlights from this week:
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."
BOOK SPOTLIGHT - If Video Games Have Taught Me Anything
Jon D. Harrison (2025); Non-Fiction
"At the risk of oversharing, this has been the perfect pick-up-and-ponder material for the washroom visits, and I imagine I’ll enjoy many more weeks of thronely thoughts."
🙏 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)
Thanks! Instantly bought one your recommendation!