Game developer Capcom have published a book, Remember Me: The Pandora Archive, based on the game release Remember Me (June 2013). Friend of these parts Paul Rhodes, Orb Entertainment, worked with Capcom to bring the book together (alongside author Scott Harrison). According to Rhodes:
“Digital has levelled the playing field. It is now possible for games companies such as Capcom to extend their fantastic stories into the literary marketplace without having to rely on a traditional licensing deal with a book publisher.”
The market is shifting - I’m working on a similar project at the minute with Digit Games - but I don’t see it as the end to partnerships, more that those too will shift.
One thing that is hard to argue - the direct reach that a games company has with their audience is huge and with an incredibly brand-loyal market this isn’t the first, or the last time, that developers will produce books of their own.