Nintendo's various Mario Bros. franchises have been among the most culturally impactful ever, and publishing company Dark Horse is helping players to get a scope of that history with the newly announced 'Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia'. The officially licensed game guide includes descriptions and information on everything from levels to characters to enemies and more.
The game guide, which reportedly includes 256 pages of Mario related content, spans from 1985, when the first Mario game was released, until 2015. There's a lot of ground to cover in that range, but the book does its best to tackle everything important. For those who need a little help passing a level or two, the game guide also includes level layouts, the locations of hidden items, and enemy guides.
What's Driving This Trend
- Video Game History Documentation
- Publishers can create and sell detailed guides or encyclopedias that document the history of popular video game franchises, offering new insights to longtime fans and educating new players.
- Gameplay Assistance Guides
- Comprehensive game guides or walkthroughs that provide level layouts, item locations and enemy guides can help players progress and overcome challenging game levels.
- Licensed Game Merchandise
- Officially licensed game guides and merchandise that appeal to the die-hard fans of popular video game franchises can serve as a lucrative secondary revenue stream for publishers.
Who This Affects Most
- Publishing Industry
- Publishers can leverage their established editorial and distribution infrastructure to create and distribute video game guides, reference materials, and merchandise.
- Video Game Industry
- Video game publishers can partner with publishers and merchandise companies to produce licensed guides and merchandise, thus generating new revenue streams.
- Retail Industry
- Retailers can stock and sell video game guides and merchandise, catering to the fanbase of popular video game franchises.
