The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #013
Ooh la la! Lots of literary love from France this week. Plus a healthy dose of Kojima, Final Fantasy, Indie Games - and an amazing care package from Brazil!
Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!
We’re heading into the final stretch of June, and while the release calendar slowed down temporarily, the quality of this week’s book news more than makes up for the quantity.
psst….next week is going to be a HUGE week of announcements and releases, so be sure to Subscribe for a super easy digest of everything in the world of Video Game books.
News & Highlights this week includes an official reveal from Bitmap Books, a serious guide for aspiring developers, and a highly anticipated deep-dive on Hideo Kojima’s legacy. There’s also a ton to spotlight coming out of France this week.
Behind the Shelves shares a few site updates (summer slowdown is real), some awesome additions from our volunteer crew, and a personal highlight: receiving a generous care package from Brazil’s Bitnamic Software, filled with beautifully crafted Portuguese books.
This week’s Recommended Read piggybacks off that care-package with a delightful sticker album celebrating 40 years of Brazil’s gaming history.
In From the Archives, I dig into one of the oddest and most charming crossovers in video game literature: Assassin’s Creed meets Mr. Men.
And finally, in our Community Interview, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Loïc Delahaye-Hien. His first book Dans l’abîme de Dishonored is a love letter to Arkane’s immersive sim, and his upcoming title explores the ever-evolving saga of Final Fantasy XIV.
Volume 13 is officially live, so let’s dive in!
📰 News & Highlights
Quality over quantity is how I’d summarize this week in Video Game Book news. There are no doubt some heavy hitters in the line-up, with some great representation for non-English lit.
While we’ve known about this book for a while, Bitmap Books ‘officially’ announced its 50 Indie Games That Changed the World. I’m super excited for this one. Not a hastily slapped together “Top 50”…this thing is 450 pages of analytical deep dives into each game.
And if reading through that one inspires you to craft your own indie experience, Effective Serious Games Development A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners just released this week, courtesy of Routledge and author Philipp Busch. Seeing more and more “Serious Game” books getting released in recent years. Might have to create a sub-genre for it…
For those who caught the sneak-peak in last week’s newsletter, Hideo Kojima: L'héritage de l'homo ludens pre-orders from French publisher Pix’n Love are now up! And honestly can’t think of a better person to be behind the wheel than Kojima expert, Tarak Chami.
And with a double-whammy of MMO announcements, Third Editions shared their gorgeous covers for La Légende Final Fantasy XIV - Tome 1 - Des origines à Stormblood (which has inspired this week’s Community Interview), and Parcourir World of Warcraft Un monde face au changement.
Moving over into Spain, Megahistoria: El viaje de Mega Man a través de las generaciones from Ramón Méndez González was released this week. A tribute to the Blue Bomber’s legacy, celebrating the series as a collection of true works of art that have left an indelible mark on gaming history.
(Edit: This was, in-fact, NOT released this week as originally planned, and moved to July 17)
For those of you who caught this weeks’ Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXXVII, a new announcement was promoted at the end. Final Fantasy XIV: Chronicles of Light II is up for pre-order, with a digital release on Oct. 7th and a physical English edition on Dec. 16.
And finally, Pokécology graces bookshelves in Japan this week. Across nearly 200 pages of vivid illustrations, this one shows how Pokémon might behave if they existed as real-life organisms.
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.
Summer has come, and work is getting busier - so my time on the site this week was limited. In fact, most of my focus was just on making sure the new announcements and cover reveals were properly catalogued for you guys.
The volunteer crew helped me pick up the slack with a few fun additions of their own.
Aside from that, I’ve also been working on marketing this Newsletter a little more. Not sure what the general rate of growth is here on Substack, but feeling really good about the growing readership over the past 2 months. Gonna try my best to hit 1,000 by July.
I was also super excited to received a care-package from Brazil, courtesy of the amazing team at Bitnamic Software. They sent through their entire catalog of Portuguese books - and I’ve been flipping through them all week. In fact, I even showcase one in this week’s Recommended Read of the Week (below).
This, as usual, is only a small sample of what we catalogued this week, so take a peek at the site to see everything! 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.
💡 Recommended Read of the Week
The 40 Years of the First Video Games in Brazil
(Os 40 anos dos primeiros videogames no Brasil)
Bitnamic Press
While my evenings are generally spent working on the site (or lately, a lot of Mario Kart World), this week I’ve been enjoying a different, particularly Zen activity - with stickers! A quiet hour each evening flipping through Bitnamic’s beautifully crafted “Os 40 anos dos primeiros videogames no Brasil” sticker album, celebrating the early days of gaming in Brazil. The incredibly generous Bitnamic Software team shipped their full collection of Portuguese books, complete with author signatures, and I’ve been so engrossed in the pile.
This 40-page album features nearly 250 stickers, spread across glossy layouts that cover everything from the Odyssey and Atari 2600 to the SpliceVision and Telejogo consoles. Some panels span two, three, or even four pages, showcasing hardware, screenshots, marketing material and more.
There’s something about the simple yet focused efforts of stickering (is that a word?) paired with short, punchy captions, that really helps the story of Brazil’s gaming past sink in. And it hasn’t just been educational for me on the gaming side of things, but also a really fun way to practice my Portuguese, my wife’s first language.
Highly recommended for anyone curious about Brazil’s gaming roots - or simply looking for an excuse to slow down, unplug, and revel in a bit of analog nostalgia.
You can find details about Os 40 anos dos primeiros videogames no Brasil 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…
…an unlikely crossover between a AAA juggernaut and a prominent children’s series.
In 2021, one of the most unexpected literary crossovers quietly landed on French bookshelves: Assassin’s Creed - Ubisoft’s sprawling, time-hopping saga of stealth and history - reimagined through the brightly-colored lens of Mr. Men and Little Miss. Released by French publishing house, Hachette Heroes, the 3-book collection translated some of the franchise’s most iconic characters (Ezio, Kassandra, and Eivor) into cheerful, rounded, smiling caricatures in the unmistakable style of Roger Hargreaves’ children’s classics.
Each book places its hero in a simplified version of their historical setting, Renaissance Venice, ancient Athens, Viking-age Scandinavia. Stripping away the blade-to-the-neck drama in favor of charming, self-contained adventures. Ezio investigates a stolen Da Vinci painting. Kassandra shrugs off Athenian philosophy and sets sail for fun. Eivor tries to lead a rowdy Viking expedition without losing her cool. The stakes are low, the tone is light, but the character essence is unmistakably true to the games.
The books were written and illustrated by Adam Hargreaves, Roger’s son and the current torchbearer for the franchise. The collaboration came as part of Ubisoft’s broader transmedia strategy and was reportedly born from a mutual appreciation between the publisher and the Hargreaves estate. It also aligns with Hachette’s growing catalogue of adult-friendly Mr. Men spinoffs.
These Assassin’s Creed editions were never translated into English, making them a bit of a collector’s item among AC and Mr. Men fans alike, and while they are technically for kids, no shame to those 30-something gamers (like me) wanting to add them to your shelves.
Fun Fact: This series was originally intended to be 6 volumes according to Ubisoft’s Apr. 21, 2021 press release. Who else do you think would translate well into the Mr. Men universe? Comment below!
In the meantime, you can browse all three of the Mr. Men x Assassin’s Creed books - plus over 10,000 more game-related titles - right here at The Video Game Library!
✨ Community Interview
Loïc Delahaye-Hien is a rising voice in the world of video game literature, combining academic rigor with deep fan passion. With Dans l'abîme de Dishonored, he dove headfirst into Arkane Studios’ acclaimed immersive sim, exploring its literary, architectural, and philosophical roots. His upcoming book, La Légende Final Fantasy XIV – Tome 1, charts the evolution of Square Enix’s MMORPG epic from its troubled beginnings to the triumph of Stormblood.
Very excited to have had the opportunity to chat with Loïc this week. I hope you enjoy!
To start things off, who is Loïc Delahaye-Hien and what brought you to the world of video games and writing?
I'm an author writing books related to video games. I published my first book with Third Editions last year. Dans l'abîme de Dishonored - Refonder l'immersive sim dissects Arkane Studios' saga, from its creators' beginnings in the industry to the historical, literary and architectural inspirations of the artists and scriptwriters. And this August, I'll be publishing my second book, La Légende Final Fantasy XIV. This is the first tome devoted to the MMORPG, and will cover everything from the first version of the game to Stormblood and its patches.
Video games have been part of my daily life since childhood, and the release of Tekken 3 on PlayStation. It's also the first game whose music I started listening to on my own, without suspecting that one day I'd be listening to one of its composers live, none other than the illustrious Keiichi Okabe of the NieR license.
Third Editions has been great! And broadly speaking, them and other publishers like Omaké Books, Mana Books and Pix'n Love seem to be churning out some pretty amazing literature. How do you feel the video game writing scene has grown in France in the past few years?
With my new book, I feel like I'm concluding a cycle: in fact, I discovered the existence of essays on video games in a bookshop in Lille, where copies of La Légende Final Fantasy VII - VIII - IX were on display. It was a real shock for me: not only did I find these games that I loved in a place I hadn't expected, but above all it was possible to write about them, and what's more, to produce such beautiful books!
I was a Master's student at the time, and had to come up with a topic for my dissertation. I was lucky enough to have a seminar director, Isabelle Casta, who was extremely curious. She herself analyzed a lot of pop culture-related subjects, especially TV series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So I asked her to work on the figures of evil in the Final Fantasy license. She was by no means a video game expert, but she was extremely enthusiastic!
The year I was defending my thesis, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi founded Third Editions. Over the past decade, I've witnessed the emergence of a host of increasingly varied projects and authors in the medium. I have a few favorites, such as Le Monde selon Final Fantasy by Rémi Lopez, which I find extremely rich, or the Steelrising artbook by Marine Macq, whose attention to detail is exemplary. Generally speaking, I find it extremely stimulating to participate in the emergence of a literature that invites the general public to look at video games differently, especially in France where, it seems to me, we're leading the way in this field.
Let's talk about your first book. While many books have a chapter or two dedicated to the stealth aspect of Dishonored, what was it about the game and its sequels that inspired you to dedicate an entire book to their story? And who is the audience for the book?
Writing a book about Dishonored was no easy task. In fact, it was a gamble, both for my publisher and myself. For my part, I was apprehensive about submitting my project, since I had no professional experience in video games or the specialist press. I didn't feel sufficiently legitimate. Third's publishers were worried that such a book wouldn't sell well enough. They themselves are very attached to this license. However, it has to be said that while the first Dishonored exceeded Bethesda's expectations, its sequels were not as successful as expected. So, when Third launched a new springboard (a call for texts) on the theme of the great video game sagas, they strongly advised against certain licenses... including Dishonored.
However, I couldn't see myself taking part in such a competition on a license other than this one. Dishonored is a universe I've inhabited for years, a license I replay almost every year. Having devoured many of Third's books, I could see the potential of a title dedicated to Arkane's games. Although I didn't think I had what it took to be published, I decided to go all out and participate in this call for submissions by listening to my heart. I submitted an outline, as well as an analysis chapter entirely dedicated to the Outsider, the central divinity of this saga. Incidentally, if the book is entitled Dans l'abîme de Dishonored, it's also because those are the first words of that chapter. The very first words I wrote of this book.
Fortunately, my enthusiasm paid off, and Third Editions agreed to follow me on this project. I worked under the supervision of Ludovic Castro (whose books are centered on Sekiro and Shin Megami Tensei). Together, we wanted to create a book that would appeal to fans, with a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process and detailed analyses of the universe and its characters; but also to the curious minds who wanted to discover the license, with an outline of the story to help them understand my book, and who knows, discover the games afterwards.
You mention that you revisit this franchise annually. What do you think sets Dishonored apart from other contenders in the same genre?
A number of stars had to align for Dishonored to see the light of day. Or rather, it took a number of talents coming together to make these games possible. From one end of the world to the other, Raphaël Colantonio and Harvey Smith had strangely similar journeys before meeting and wanting to create their dream game. The late Viktor Antonov brought much of his own personal history to bear on Dunwall's artistic direction. Jean-Luc Monnet designed some of the most fascinating artifacts in the industry. Dana Nightingale gave us all lessons in level design with the Mechanical Manor and Michaels Bank. Not to mention the extraordinary work of Dinga Bakaba, Sébastien Mitton, Daniel Licht, Julien Eveillé... Dishonored breathes passion from every pore. That's what makes it so endearing to me, even more so now that I've explored its backstage.
“…Dishonored breathes passion from every pore” - I love it! Your book touches on influences of literary and artistic traditions like Dante's Inferno and classical painting in shaping Arkane's design ethos. How important is cross-media inspiration in understanding video games at a deeper level?
A work of art never stands alone. There are always links, conscious or otherwise, between a video game and other games, literature, painting, cinema... This is what Gérard Genette called transtextuality, a concept that had a great impact on me during my studies. It was very interesting for me to explore Dishonored's inspirations, given the proportion of its artists coming from the Lyon School of Fine Arts, Emile Cohl. Art director Sébastien Mitton readily reveals how certain paintings, through their composition or lighting effects, directly influenced the staging of the games. Sometimes, I also mention works that weren't cited by the developers as direct inspirations, for example comparing the protagonist Corvo to the Count of Monte-Cristo, or analyzing the behavior of the Loyalists through the prism of Machiavelli. These are works that, to varying degrees, have influenced creators the world over, and this is my way of trying to trace that genealogy. It's also my way of showing, in my humble way, that video games can contend on an equal footing with other art forms, that they are rich in influences and cultures, and that they can in turn inspire new creations.
You also explore the concept of agency in the book: how players are empowered to shape the narrative and even ‘break’ the game systems. What do you think is the most powerful example of this in Dishonored? And have you seen this used elsewhere in games effectively?
If there are any players who make Dishonored's game system shine, it's the speedrunners. In France, we have an annual charity event, Speedons, organized by streamer Mister MV, where games from the license are regularly featured. I'm always in awe of these players: when I'm holding the controller myself, I'm more the type to take my time, scan the surroundings and move forward cautiously. I had to break out of this comfort zone when I played again to prepare my book.
Have you read any of the expanded universe comics or novelizations for Dishonored?
While the Dishonored license is primarily known for its games, its universe is far more extensive: the three novels written by Adam Christopher, two comic book series, and even a role-playing game released a few years ago. All under the supervision of Harvey Smith, game co-creator and lore master. All these works form a continuous narrative with the games, and it was essential for me to present them in my book - all the more so as we haven't benefited from a French translation for the totality of these works. I invite you to read The Return of Daud before playing Death of the Outsider, to see the game in a new light!
Do you feel there's still more that can be written about Dishonored?
If Dishonored 3 ever comes out, I'll be delighted to play it and write about it!
Let’s talk about your upcoming book - La Légende Final Fantasy XIV – Tome 1. What drew you to this MMO in particular?
Final Fantasy has long been a license close to my heart. However, for a long time, I was one of those gamers who excluded the eleventh and fourteenth episodes from their journey because they were MMORPGs. I had a rather stereotypical conception of this kind of game, largely inherited from the image that World of Warcraft can project. That said, I'd been following Final Fantasy XIV, especially its soundtrack.
Then, with the release of Shadowbringers, the developers announced a cross-over with one of my favorite games, NieR Automata. At the time, my husband was already playing the game. Not to mention that I had to go to Japan Expo, where you could discover the game and get a free copy. That's what motivated me to join Eorzea, where I spent most of my summer in 2019. In the span of those few days, an entire world opened up to me, a world I've never left since. There was so much to do, so much to discover!
Today, I cherish certain scenes and characters that brought tears to my eyes. In fact, at the time of this interview, I'm currently working on the chapter dedicated to the music of Shadowbringers. There's a track in it that has a very special dimension for me: Forever at your side, the theme that plays as G'raha Tia clings to his dearest desire at the moment of sacrifice: the vow to journey alongside us. It was to this very melody that my husband and I made the same vow during our wedding ceremony. Today, Final Fantasy XIV is one of those works to which I have a lasting attachment and which have transformed me. Having said that, I'm not sure I'm ever going to invest myself in other MMORPGs, whether World of Warcraft or even Final Fantasy XI.
Final Fantasy XIV is huge. You got the social, cultural, and political threads all woven together to create a massive narrative over multiple installments. How have you approached this in your writing and what will the structure of the book be?
The first volume of La Légende Final Fantasy XIV is divided into four parts: the first version of the game (1.0), A Realm Reborn, Heavensward and Stormblood. Each part includes a chapter dedicated to behind-the-scenes development, a second chapter analyzing the story and a third in which I return to the music. The main story quest of Final Fantasy XIV is extremely rich, touching on subjects as vast as hubris, colonization and the way societies rebuild after catastrophe. However, in order to treat the game's narrative in all its richness, I also chose to analyze the most important side quests of each expansion: alliance and eight-player raids, the trials series and the Forbidden Land of Eureka. This allowed me to tackle new themes such as mourning in The Binding Coil of Bahamut, intergenerational conflict in the Crystal Tower and the value of folklore in the story of the Four Lords.
So what was your research process like (ie: replaying the games, interviews, etc..)? Did you learn anything that stands out in particular?
I started by replaying Final Fantasy XIV in its entirety, right up to the last Stormblood patch, not only to better recall the story and find angles for it, but also to relive this vast gaming experience and develop the part dedicated to development. I also read and watched numerous interviews with members of the studio. As with most Japanese games, producer and director Naoki Yoshida's voice is omnipresent, and it's rare for the developers themselves to speak, apart from the heads of each sector. Liveletters and columns written by Yoshida in Famitsu magazine have proved invaluable sources, where he confides with less restraint about his feelings and the trials the studio has been through. In particular, we learn that, before taking over the helm of Final Fantasy XIV, Yoshida was working on an action-RPG that resembled a Bloodborne before its time!
How has writing about these two juggernauts differed?
Today, Dishonored remains a very accessible license. The games are shorter, and above all they are accessible on today's platforms. There are very few gaps between the license today and the gameplay experience originally conceived by the developers. Things are very different for Final Fantasy XIV. For gamers like me who got on board with Shadowbringers, it's hard to imagine what it felt like to play the very first version of the title in 2010. I had to delve into fifteen-year-old archives to recreate this singular experience. That said, the game also remains very different today from what it was when it was re-released in 2013 with A Realm Reborn. Between graphic updates, accessibility and the numerous adjustments to the combat system, Final Fantasy XIV is a veritable archeological construction site, with one version superimposed on another. Today, the growth of dematerialized gaming raises the question of the conversation of video games, and this is even truer when it comes to MMORPGs, which are constantly being enriched and rewritten.
With both of these books published through Third Editions, what has your collaboration with them been like? What's the end-to-end process of getting a book with Third Editions published?
Usually, everything starts with a plan. I spend a few months researching the game I want to write about, and try to imagine what the book might look like, and what it should contain. I present this plan in the form of a detailed summary, so that the publishers can get a better idea of the book I want to create. They then exchange ideas, and Ludovic comes back to me to suggest additions or modifications. Once everyone is happy with the plan, it's time for me to start a new marathon!
The months that follow are fairly solitary. My editor is always available should I have a question, but I remain a relatively autonomous person, with a precise schedule of chapters to work on each week. I write a first draft, then rewrite, until I present the result to my editor. As the Third team is relatively small, Ludovic works on several projects simultaneously. That's also why I prefer to have him read my work once or twice, and not more.
However, the longest period for me is after I've submitted the manuscript: the months leading up to release, when the book is finished, but still kept secret from readers. During this time, my publisher comes back to me from time to time to inform me of the progress of the production: the cover, the bookplate, the release date... Sometimes, he also asks me some rather precise questions about the content of my book to guide the work of the proofreader. When you've already turned in one book and are starting to plunge into the next, it's a step backwards that can sometimes come as a surprise!
Are there other books on the horizon that you're hoping to work on?
I'm currently working on the second volume dedicated to Final Fantasy XIV. I'll certainly have time to work on another project before starting Volume 3. I'd love to write about Pokémon, Ghost of Tsushima or Genshin Impact!
What do you hope readers - whether they are fans of Dishonored, Final Fantasy XIV, or video game culture in general - take away from your books?
I'd like them to feel the same way I did the first time I opened La Légende Final Fantasy IX: the feeling of rediscovering a cherished work of art. And for those who haven't yet had the chance to play these games, I hope my books will give them the impetus to get started.
Finally, where can people find you and follow your work?
You can find my books at Third Editions, follow me on BlueSky (@setoldh) and read my articles on the Journal du Japon website! I've written a few game reviews - the latest is devoted to Elden Ring Nightreign - and analytical articles on the links between video games and Japanese culture.
Thanks for your time, Loïc!
🙏 And THANK YOU for Reading
That’s a wrap for this week’s deep dive into all things video game literature. 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)