A new Pac-Man art book is on its way courtesy of Cook and Becker. After celebrating its 40th anniversary last year with a slew of new product releases, including this sweet Tamagotchi crossover, it looks like the Pac-Man camp isn’t quite done yet. The new Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon book is the “first-ever official history book” for the titular video game character that started it all, according to the creators. The whole package is quite impressive-looking, is available in a few different variations, and makes for a particularly great Pac-Man collectible. Head below for a closer look.
New Pac-Man art book
The new Pac-Man art book will join a series of 40th-anniversary gear, many of which we went hands-on with last year, including this Pac-Man Monopoly board game, the themed Timex watch we saw last summer, mini arcades with gold accents, and the aforementioned Pac-Man Tamagotchi.
Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon is filled with glorious photography and historical details spanning the entire history of the iconic video game character. It takes readers on the “journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s ‘pizza slice’ inspiration to the game’s incredible success in arcades and beyond.” That’s on top of “more than 40 new interviews” with the folks who know the history best alongside “behind-the-scenes stories, documents… and more.”
Clearly this is not just a pretty Pac-Man art book, but you will find plenty of archival imagery, marketing photos, ad campaigns, early concepts, Pac-Man’s influence on fashion, and much more:
With untold stories, new details, and archival imagery, Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon showcases the franchise’s complex history from Tokyo to Chicago to Boston, unpacking the stories of video game industry stalwarts Namco and Midway Manufacturing.
The upcoming Pac-Man art book is available in three variations ranging from the standard edition through to the impressive signed and numbered collector’s edition with the brilliant slip-case seen above, pricing ranges from $39 up to $299. While the standard edition is essentially just the hardcover book itself, the collector’s edition also includes the luxury case as well as a seven-inch vinyl pressing of that “Pac-Man Fever” song.
All versions are expected to release later this year come summertime.
9to5Toys‘ take
While we have seen our fair share of art books around here, Cook and Becker – the same team responsible for the giant Final Fantasy collector’s book package – have certainly put the effort in here judging by what we can see thus far. The Pac-Man-shaped slip cover is a real highlight, not to mention the collectible vinyl pressing. This is one gaming book that will be a conversation starter sitting on the coffee table and caps off the notable lineup of 40th-anniversary Pac-Man gear we saw last year.
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