If you have been browsing Amazon for details on upcoming titles, you might have stumbled upon pricey "guidebooks" for games that aren't even out yet. A recent surge of AI-written guideslop for games—including Alien: Isolation 2, Control: Resonant, and Gears of War: E-Day—has flooded the platform, and they are essentially useless.
These listings are a far cry from the professional, authorized strategy guides of the past. While genuine guides are often produced by writers with advanced, early access to incomplete game builds, these AI-generated tomes are built on little more than scraped Wikipedia data and pure fabrication. According to reporting from Rick’s Game Backlog, these books are often sold for $20 or more, presenting a significant risk to consumers who might mistake them for legitimate companion products.
What You’ll Find Inside
The quality of these books is, by all accounts, abysmal. Copies purchased for review revealed 60-page volumes that lack images, page numbers, and even functional navigation. One example for Gears of War: E-Day features a table of contents consisting of broken, non-clickable hyperlinks. Instead of actual gameplay tips, the books contain "chapters" on mechanics that do not exist, such as "Psychological Warfare" or "Survival Mechanics" that have no basis in the actual game design.
Perhaps most telling is the AI-generated marketing copy found in the descriptions. One listing for a Gears of War guide explicitly included the instruction: "Here is a high-converting Amazon-style book description crafted to sell your book while keeping it emotionally engaging, persuasive, and read-focused."
A Persistent Problem
The issue extends beyond just unreleased titles. Similar AI-slop guides are currently available for already-released games, including Lies of P, The Adventures of Elliot, Mina the Hollower, and Star Fox. These titles often share the same "authors," such as George D. Brogon and Donald C. Campbell, and frequently utilize the exact same "Step into the world of..." phrasing in their product blurbs.
While concerned users have successfully flagged some of these items to Amazon customer support, the listings have a habit of reappearing shortly after removal. The practice is particularly effective at catching unwary shoppers, as Amazon’s algorithm often promotes these guides alongside legitimate game pre-orders. If you are looking for reliable information on upcoming releases, it is best to stick to official developer sources and established, human-written gaming outlets.