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Retro Game Books is an American independent publisher and retailer specializing in books, merchandise, and collectibles centered on retro video game history, art, and culture. The company was founded in 2020 by Brian Riggsbee and is based in San Francisco, California.[1] Its catalog includes original titles produced in-house as well as curated third-party books selected as "Editor's Picks." Products are sold primarily through the company's official website and are available in digital and physical formats.
History
editRetro Game Books was founded in 2020 by Brian Riggsbee, a former professional video game designer based in San Francisco.[1] The company's first major publication was The Complete History of Rygar, a comprehensive examination of the Rygar franchise, which was announced in May 2021 by Hardcore Gaming 101 and Atari Gamer, and was subsequently featured by Polygon in November 2021.[2] The book attracted attention from prominent gaming journalists, including Jeremy Parish (media curator at Limited Run Games and host of the Retronauts podcast) and content creator John Riggs.[3]
In 2022, Retro Game Books expanded its catalog with Pixel Art: Metroid, a book focused on the pixel art and visual history of Nintendo's Metroid series, and Video Game Maps: NES & Famicom, a large-format gallery book collecting maps from over 250 NES and Famicom titles.[1] The company also began participating in gaming expos, selling The Complete History of Rygar at the Too Many Games expo in partnership with Hardcore Gaming 101 in June 2022.[3]
By 2023 and 2024, Retro Game Books broadened its retail presence, selling at events including the Rock River Valley Game Convention (October 2023), a pop-up shop on Cortland Street in San Francisco (November 2023), the Game On Expo in Arizona (March 2024), and the Portland Retro Gaming Expo (September 2024).[3] A partnership with Boss Fight Books saw Retro Game Books titles included as stretch goals in Kickstarter campaigns for GoldenEye 007 (2022) and Boss Fight Books Season 7 (2024).[3]
International distribution expanded significantly between 2024 and 2025. Retro Game Books titles became available in Australia through Pixel Crib (September 2024), in France through Giant Books (October 2024), and in Brazil through a Portuguese-language translated edition (October 2025).[3] In June 2025, the company's products went on sale at the ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) museum shop in Melbourne, Australia.[3]
Founder
editBrian Riggsbee is the founder, owner, and primary author of Retro Game Books. Born and raised in the California Bay Area, Riggsbee began gaming on the Atari 2600 and later the Nintendo Entertainment System.[1] He is a former video game designer and producer whose commercial credits include Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (PC), Medal of Honor: Allied Assault – Breakthrough (PC), Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising (PC), Star Trek Online (PC), Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show (PSP), Disney Channel All Star Party (Wii), Disney's High School Musical 3 (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PC), 2013: Infected Wars (iOS), Madden 10 (iOS), and Ashen Empires (PC).[1] He also created maps for Counter-Strike: Source, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and a five-level campaign for Left 4 Dead 2.[1][4] Riggsbee lives in San Francisco with his wife and son.[1]
Publications
editOriginal titles (Exclusives)
editRetro Game Books produces a line of original publications under its "Exclusives" imprint. These titles are written, designed, and produced by Brian Riggsbee and collaborators, and are sold in paperback, bundle, and digital (PDF, EPUB, MOBI) formats.[1]
The Complete History of Rygar (first published 2021; extended edition) is a comprehensive history of the Rygar franchise, covering every game and regional port, era-period magazines, guides, and reviews, fan art from over 50 contributors, action figures, ROM hacks, speedrunner spotlights, classic advertisements, and puzzles. The extended edition also includes an interview with Amiga developer Graeme Cowie and a foreword by Kurt Kalata, editor-in-chief of Hardcore Gaming 101. The book is 160 full-color pages in a 5.5" × 7.75" paperback format. It is written and designed by Riggsbee, edited by Justin Severson, with a cover by Matt Waggle and a poster by Bimshwel.[5] ISBN 978-1-7363593-1-0
Video Game Maps: NES & Famicom (2022) is a 346-page full-color curated gallery of maps from more than 250 NES and Famicom titles, drawn from period magazines, strategy guides, instruction manuals, posters, and advertisements, as well as fan-created maps contributed by 13 artists. The volume includes articles by cartographers Justin Andrew Mason and Ross Thorn, and a foreword by Konstantinos Dimopoulos, author of Virtual Cities.[6] ISBN 978-1-7363593-2-7 A Greatest Hits Edition collecting highlights from the series was also produced.[7]
Pixel Art: Metroid is a book dedicated to the pixel art of the Metroid franchise, featuring original art, tutorials, interviews, and articles.[1]
Video Game Maps: SNES is an ongoing series covering Super Nintendo Entertainment System titles. Volume 1 (2024) was followed by Volume 2 (2025), which covers games including The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Kirby Super Star, Mega Man X, and Romancing SaGa.[8] Volume 3 (2025) collects 55 games across 300 pages.[1]
Video Game Maps: Genesis & Mega Drive covers the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive library in a similar format to the NES and SNES volumes, spanning over 100 games from across Japanese and Western releases.[7]
NES Achievements is a companion publication focused on achievements and completion milestones for the NES library.[1]
I Am Not Good: The History of Cheating in Video Games examines the history and culture of cheating in video games across multiple eras.[9]
From Pixels to Prose: What Video Games Taught Me About Storytelling is an essay-style book exploring the relationship between video game design and narrative craft.[9]
Retro Gaming Coloring Book is a coloring book featuring retro gaming-themed illustrations.[1]
Editor's Picks
editIn addition to its in-house publications, Retro Game Books curates and retails a selection of third-party books under the "Editor's Picks" label. Titles available in this section have included:
- Resident Evil (Boss Fight Books)
- Silent Hill 2 (Boss Fight Books)
- Chrono Trigger (Boss Fight Books)
- Final Fantasy VI (Boss Fight Books)
- PaRappa the Rapper (Boss Fight Books)
- Fight, Magic, Items: The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West
- HG101 Presents: Sega Console Classics – Vol. 1 (Hardcore Gaming 101)
- HG101 Presents: NES Cult Classics (Hardcore Gaming 101)
- HG101 Presents: The Complete Guide to the Famicom Disk System (Hardcore Gaming 101)
- 32 Bit Library[1]
Merchandise
editReception
editRetro Game Books has received coverage from numerous video game and general interest publications. Polygon featured The Complete History of Rygar in November 2021, with special projects editor Matt Leone writing that it was the kind of thorough treatment one would not expect for a title of that profile, calling it fantastic.[2] Jeremy Parish, media curator at Limited Run Games and host of the Retronauts podcast, described the same book as an interesting read that digs into some obscure versions of the game.[3]
The Toronto Guardian reviewed the Video Game Maps series in July 2025, describing Retro Game Books as "the definition of indie publishing done right" and praising the volumes as "finely-honed, meticulously organized" compendiums.[7] Nintendo Life covered Video Game Maps: SNES – Volume 2 in February 2025, and Old School Gamer Magazine spotlighted the company in October 2025.[8][9] Video Game Maps: NES & Famicom was listed as a recommended resource in a game urbanism bibliography published by Game Developer in March 2024.[10]
Founder Brian Riggsbee was interviewed by Gaming.net in March 2024 about print media and the philosophy behind Retro Game Books.[4] He has also appeared on numerous retro gaming podcasts, including those produced by Hardcore Gaming 101, The Game Deflators, Pixels and Polygons, Flashback 64, New Game Plus, and Still Loading.[3]
Partnerships and distribution
editRetro Game Books has collaborated with Boss Fight Books on multiple occasions as a stretch goal contributor to Kickstarter campaigns. In 2022, digital copies of The Complete History of Rygar were offered as a stretch goal for the GoldenEye 007 campaign. In 2023, the digital edition of Pixel Art: Metroid was bundled with a Boss Fight Books offering. In 2024, Video Game Maps: NES & Famicom was included as a stretch goal for Boss Fight Books Season 7.[3]
The company has also participated in the Story Bundle digital book bundle service, appearing in the Chill Story Bundle (December 2022) and The Greatest Hits Game Bundle 2 (July 2025). In August 2022, proceeds from Retro Game Books' inclusion in the Summer Story Bundle were donated to The Trevor Project in memory of Philip J. Reed.[3]
Physical retail partnerships include Level Up Video Games in Santa Cruz, California (November 2024), Pixel Crib in Australia (September 2024), Giant Books in France (October 2024), Europa Net in Brazil (October 2025), and the ACMI museum shop in Melbourne, Australia (June 2025).[3]
See also
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "About Us". Retro Game Books. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 Leone, Matt (2021-11-01). "Revisit Tecmo's long-forgotten Rygar". Polygon. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Press". Retro Game Books. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 3 Tury, Jord (2024-03-05). "Brian Riggsbee, Founder of Retro Game Books — Interview Series". Gaming.net. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "The Complete History of Rygar". Retro Game Books. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "Video Game Maps: NES & Famicom". Retro Game Books. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 3 "Video Game Maps Collection (Review): From Hyrule to the Mushroom Kingdom". The Toronto Guardian. 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 Norman, Jim (2025-02-05). "Latest 'Video Game Maps: SNES' Book Dives Into Zelda, Kirby, Mega Man And More". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 3 "A Must-See: Retro Game Books". Old School Gamer Magazine. 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Dimopoulos, Konstantinos (2024-03-01). "A Game Urbanism Bibliography". Game Developer. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
Category:Publishing companies established in 2020 Category:Companies based in San Francisco
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