Art book

Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia Hardcover Book Releasing in Time For Sonic’s 30th – Written by Ian Flynn

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An Amazon listing for Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia has appeared, confirming a very cool release from SEGA in time for Sonic’s 30th anniversary. The hardcover book from SEGA and Dark Horse publishing will be 256 pages long (just a little shorter than Pix’n Love Editions History of Sonic the Hedgehog book from the 20th anniversary) and most notably, the book is being written by IDW Sonic the Hedgehog lead writer Ian Flynn.

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Read-Only Memory announces SEGA Arcade: Pop-Up History book – Kickstarter launches today

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Our friends at Read-Only Memory, who published the excellent Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works and is hard at work on the upcoming Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works, have announced a new SEGA focused book with a very different spin. SEGA Arcade: Pop-Up History will be a large format, high production book of pop-up sculptures of SEGA’s greatest arcade cabinets. The deluxe arcade cabinets include: Hang-On, Space Harrier, Thunder Blade, After Burner, and Out Run. The Holy Quincunx as I call them (I had to Google “trinity but for 5”).

Each pop-up model in this officially licensed book will be accompanied by schematics, game artwork and historical context from by Guardian games writer Keith Stuart – plus everyone who backs the project during the Kickstarter campaign will receive an exclusive limited version, sporting a silver foil, deep embossed cover design.

Read-Only Memory have proven time and time again that they produce the best quality video game history and art and design books, and we urge readers to show their latest project their support. You can learn more about the upcoming book on their Kickstarter campaign page. We will continue to share news about SEGA Arcade: Pop-Up History as we hear it.

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Bitmap Books SEGA Master System: a visual compendium Kickstarter launches

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UK based Bitmap Books have been around for a while, producing high quality art books featuring classic game consoles. “SEGA Master System: a visual compendium” is their first foray into the world of SEGA, and to make the book happen they’ve turned to Kickstarter. The book will feature pixel art, product design and graphic design associated with this iconic 8-bit system. The book is also officially licensed by SEGA and is the first book of this kind to be released for the Master System.

Backers can choose between digital, softcover or hardcover and add-ons include post cards, a poster, a t-shirt. Also included with each book will be 3-D glasses and a bookmark. If you want to support the book, check out their Kickstarter campaign.

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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works Kickstarter launches – New book from Read-Only Memory!

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2519c6249487a58be2e8cb9e73bd7718_originalReaders of our site probably know that we are huge fans of the work of Darren Wall and Read-Only Memory, who was behind the excellent “Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works” book. Now, Darren and Read-Only Memory are returning to the world of SEGA books with “Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works”, a new book described as an “illustrated history of the cult games console, produced in collaboration with Sega”. The project is being funded by Kickstarter, and is already 30% funded with a £68,000 goal at the time of this article being posted. Given the project just launched today, that is impressive!

The campaign offers up several tiers, from the book itself to special slipcovers featuring Jet Set Radio, Shenmue and Phantasy Star Online logos. Already sold out are early bird editions at a reduced price and a Naoto Ohshima signed edition. There is also a Kickstarter exclusive Shenmue bookmark available for all backers. The campaign page has a LOT of information, from what the book will contain to who you can expect to be interviewed. Rather than copy and paste all that here, we urge you to check out the campaign page for yourself and consider supporting the project.

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Shining Series artist releases his art book ‘Tony’s Artworks From Origin’ tomorrow

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TonysArtOriginRegardless of what you think of Tony Takas art since taking over the Shining franchise’s art duties all the way back in 2004, he seems to have acquired a massive following in Japan. While the Shining series has had trouble selling copies of their games, it seems that Japan responded positively to Tony Taka’s character designs. So much so that there is a ton of Shining series merch being sold, more so than the actual games. Tony Taka has even released a couple of Shining related art books as well, this will be more broad artwork he has done in the past.

AmiAmi will be selling the “Tony’s ART works from Origin” book which is set to feature various character designs from his career including magazine covers and vocaloids he has designed, including a long form interview looking at his history these past 20 years. The book will come in A4 page format, will have a hardcover backing and clear slip on box. The book will set you back 5,000 yen ($46), will have 100 pages and feature 80 illustrations. The details of the book also brag that about 30 of the character designs in the book got made into figurines. Good for you Tony Taka, I guess.

Hit the jump to check out preview pages of some of the artwork that will be in the book:

[Via AmiAmi]

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Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works reprint Kickstarter to fund production of a second run

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Released back in 2014, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works fast became one of our favorite SEGA art books of all time. Created by Darren Wall of Read-Only Memory, the book covers SEGA’s famous 16-bit console, featuring development and concept illustrations for the console’s most popular franchises, original developer interviews and previously unseen hardware production plans. Much of the materials – drawn from the Sega of Japan archives – has never been released before. The book also features dozens of interviews with the people who made our favorite Mega Drive/Genesis games.

Now, Read-Only Memory plans to put the book back into production with a reprint. To do this, they’ve returned to Kickstarter with a new campaign which offers copies of the book as backer rewards, as well as some cool new items including a Mega Drive branded bookmark and a stylish tote bag. Worth noting for those who backed the first time, the tote bag is available in a tier of its own, and it is also bundled with a copy of the book and the bookmark.

If you missed out the first time, or if you want to support Read-Only Memory again, we highly suggest checking out their campaign. A lot of hard work and fan-driven passion went into the project, as evidenced by our interview with Darren Wall. After the break, check out our unboxing video featuring Darren and the writer of “Console Wars” Blake J. Harris.

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SEGA News Bits: First Look at the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book

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Cook & Becker’s Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary art book is now up for pre-order, and on this SEGA News Bits George and Barry share their thoughts on the upcoming book. Take a look at several images of the Special Collector’s Edition of the book and learn some details of what we might expect to find in the book.

Are you a Sonic collector with original official art? Contact Cook & Becker as they are looking for potential rarities to include in the book!

If you like our SEGA News Bits segments, make sure you subscribe to us on YouTube. Thanks for watching!

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First look at the official ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary’ art book from Cook & Becker – available for pre-order

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Thanks to the next-gen art dealers at Cook & Becker, we have a first look at the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary art book via an in-depth gallery of images as well as a full press release. So let’s get down to it! The art book, the first ever official art book and design history for the long running series, encapsulates 25 years of history. The book will be made available in a limited Special Collector’s Edition as well as a Standard Hardcover Edition. The Special Collector’s Edition features an outer box, a special inner sleeve that folds into a display stand for the book and an exclusive newly drawn matted art giclee print by Sonic Team’s Yuji Uekawa. The Collector’s Edition is limited to 2,500 copies and sells for $120/€120 respectively. As a pre-order bonus, Cook & Becker offers a 10% discount on the Collector’s Edition if it is ordered before February 2017. The Standard Edition, meanwhile, retails for $45/€45 and consists of the book itself.

Let’s talk about the book! Officially licensed, the book (310mm H x 275mm W) will feature 200+ pages of images and text, including interviews with key Sonic designers including Yuji Naka, Takashi Iizuka and Yuji Uekawa. As seen in the image gallery below, you can expect to find concept art, promotional art, 3D renders, box art and – as revealed in our recent article – original official art and rare collectibles submitted by fans (pending approval from Cook & Becker and SEGA, of course).

After the break, check out a full press release detailing the book as well as a gallery of several images showing off the ins and outs of the book as well as the Special Collector’s Edition. Don’t forget to pre-order the book today at the official Cook & Becker site!

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Attention Sonic the Hedgehog collectors: Cook & Becker are looking for rare original official art and collectibles

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If you haven’t already heard, next-gen art dealers Cook & Becker plan to release a “Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book”. The book will cover the history of Sonic and will include design sketches, official character illustrations, in-game art, pixel art, rare promotional art and game box art. While SEGA has provided Cook & Becker with many great art assets from the company archives, as is the case with original art spanning 25 years there is always more out there in private collections.

Cook & Becker reached out to us asking if we would ask you, the fans, to lend a hand if you can. As the book enters the final stages of design, there is little under a month left before the window closes on what can appear in the book and we are asking any fans with cool rare retro merchandise, rare original promotional art and rare manual scans to reach out to Cook & Becker via their contact page or email maarten [at] candb.com. Cook & Becker is looking for high res photos and scans of what they may not already have. They will credit anyone in the book that sends in material that gets included. I know, for example, that there is some really great original art from the late SEGA Genesis-era artist Greg Martin in several collections.

It should be noted that Cook & Becker are NOT looking for fan art, only rare and original official pieces of artwork and collectibles. More news on Cook & Becker’s book to come, so stay tuned!

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SEGA and Cook & Becker to team up to release the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book

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Via the Cook & Becker blog comes the awesome news that SEGA has teamed with the art dealer to release a Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book. The book will cover Sonic’s entire history and will include design sketches, official illustrations, in-game and pixel art, promotional art and box art. The book will also contain never-before-seen artwork and will have interviews with designers and artists who worked on the series. Pre-orders have not yet opened, but Cook & Becker expect pre-orders to open wordwide in October or November with the ship date set as early 2017. There will be two versions, a Standard Edition and a Collector’s Edition.

Not to toot our own horn, but back in July of 2015, we interviewed Aaron Webber and when asked what sort of Sonic merchandise we’d like to see, we asked for a Sonic the Hedgehog art book. Aaron sounded genuinely interested in making such a thing happen. So, you’re welcome and Aaron… can we have a free copy of the book?

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7th Dragon III Code: VFD Nintendo 3DS launch edition to include art book

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In a clear case of SEGA’s acquisition of Atlus rubbing off on SEGA of America comes news of yet another launch edition of an upcoming physical release. SEGA 3D Classics Collection has decals, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered has a steelbook case, and now 7th Dragon III Code: VFD has been confirmed to include a 28-page art book and collector’s box. SEGA promises that the art book will contain “a closer look at the design work that went in to creating the game’s esoteric character classes, ferocious dragons, vile monsters, and the environments that span three time periods”. The box will likely be no different from the Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX launch edition, which is a cardboard box featuring the game’s case art. Still, it looks nice on a shelf.

7th Dragon III: Code VFD will arrive this summer in retail stores and on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS in the Americas. The game will be available for $39.99/CA$54.99 and had been rated T by the ESRB. For more information please visit: http://7thdragon.sega.com

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Watch our live unboxing of Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works with creator Darren Wall – Tuesday, November 18th at 6PM EST

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SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis fans listen up – we have something very special planned for tomorrow! We will be unwrapping and paging through Read-Only Memory’s “Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works” book live with project lead Darren Wall providing page-by-page commentary.

If that wasn’t enough, we will also joined by Blake J. Harris, author of the book “Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation” who is sure to have some stories of his own to share.

The live stream will appear at SEGAbits.com tomorrow at 6PM EST, so keep your eyes open for a dedicated article with the embedded live stream video and keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

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Upcoming Sonic merch – History of Sonic Collector’s Edition and SEGA teams with Sambro to create board games and puzzles

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SEGA’s longtime mascot has some cool new pieces of merchandise for 2013. First up is a Collector’s Edition of Pix’n Love’s The History of Sonic book. The History of Sonic has had a long and interesting history (well, interesting to Sonic nerds). The book began as a Collector’s Edition exclusive to France and in the French language. Soon, fans found that even if they didn’t speak a lick of French they could still order the book. Then, Pix’n Love announced an English version was to be made for the UK with international shipping available. Fans cancelled their French orders, awaited an English release and… nothing happened. That is, until Canadian publisher Udon picked up the book, refined the English translation and released it just this past December.

Just a month after the book’s release in North America, Pix’n Love’s English site has announced a Collector’s Edition of the book, which features an alternate cover, and each is individually numbered out of a total of 1,000. Aside from that, it looks to be the same book as the standard Udon edition. The price is £29.99 plus shipping, and the book is available to order now. Keep in mind, however, that the Amazon price is only $31 and the Collector’s Edition is over $47 plus tax. After the break, a bit of board game news.

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English version of The History of Sonic book coming courtesy of Udon?

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GoNintendo has stumbled upon a pre-order listing on Amazon for Pix’N Love’s The History of Sonic book. The fact that there is an English language version isn’t a surprise, since Pix’N Love confirmed that one is in the works earlier this month. What is a surprise is that the book is not being sold on Pix’N Love’s English site, and that the book looks to be published by Udon Entertainment. Udon Entertainment, for those who don’t know, is a Canadian based publisher responsible for gaming art books both original and imported including the Valkyria Chronicles 2: World Artworks book and the upcoming The Eyes of Bayonetta art book. So has Pix’N Love left the English language duties to Udon? Seems like it. The English translation already exists, as it was approved alongside the French translation several months ago. So at most, Udon would have to handle printing and perhaps a slight redesign to the cover to accomodate their logo. Pix’N Love estimated that the book would sell for between $45 and $50, and the MSRP on Amazon matches that guess at $49.99. However, Amazon currently lists the book for a cool $32.14. The release date is tentatively October 9, 2012. An Amazon.co.uk listing also exists, however a price is not given. The UK release date is listed as September 19, 2012.

A big thanks to Tracker the Doggy for the heads up!

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Spoiler Alert: See every page of The History of Sonic book

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Pix’n Love Publishing’s The History of Sonic book has finally released… in French! So while English readers await the release of the English version, which is coming, enjoy this spoileriffic page by page video of the book. The book looks to be very impressive, with a lot of artwork and screens as well as a good amount of text, a nice balance of pictures and words in my opinion. The most awesome aspect of the book is that it has never before seen artwork! After the break, part two of the book.

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