Animal Crossing Manga, Hideo Kojima Book Coming This Fall From Viz Media

Some new video game-themed manga is on the way to the West, courtesy of Viz Media. The company has announced that an Animal Crossing: New Horizons manga will release this fall, as will a new book of essays from Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Vol. 1 Deserted Island Diary, due out on September 14, is Nintendo's first official book on its popular game of the same name. The book is a Toy Story-like manga that will answer the question: "What do the villagers of Animal Crossing: New Horizons get up to when you're not around?" Viz teases "goofy gags and silly stories" from the manga, which is part of an ongoing series. Also included are comics on "each" villager, though it's unclear if that includes every single one included in the game.

The book will also offer "tips and tricks for playing the game in a special bonus section." New Horizons has proven to be wildly popular, selling more than 31 million copies in less than a year, making it the second-best-selling game on Nintendo Switch.

The Creative Gene: How Books, Movies, and Music Inspired The Creator of Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid--yes, that's the full title--will be published on October 12. While much of the book's focus is right there in the title, the publisher further elaborates that the book will be a collection of essays that "explore some of the inspirations behind one of the titans of the video game industry, and offers an exclusive insight into one of the brightest minds of pop culture."

What makes The Creative Gene truly special is its essays come directly from Kojima himself, and will offer his "opinions and reviews of significant films, books, and music in his own words." The book will also feature a special conversation with popular Japanese musician Gen Hoshino, whose hit song "Pop Virus" is featured in the unique 2019 game Death Stranding. In the meantime, the recently announced official novelizations of Death Stranding will be released February 23 on Amazon.

Viz Media also recently announced a collaboration with Ubisoft to deliver a new manga titled Assassin's Creed: Blade of the Shao Jun. That book, which was recently released, extends the story of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China.