Celebrating 40 years of Fighting Fantasy

Posted on 8 December 2022

With over 17 million copies sold worldwide and published in over 30 languages, Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone’s beloved gamebook series – Fighting Fantasy – remains as innovative and exciting as it was during its original release in the 1980s.

This year, Scholastic has released two new titles in the Fighting Fantasy franchise, marking the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first gamebook – The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. The latest releases, Shadow of the Giants and Secrets of Salamonis, written by Livingstone and Jackson respectively, retain the same interactive element as the original titles and are bound to delight fans both old and new.

Scholastic has been publishing Fighting Fantasy since 2017, repackaging and reigniting the series for a new generation of readers, proudly continuing its legacy with these two fantastic new releases!

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, proclaimed veterans of the gaming world, launched their careers fuelled by their passion for board games and design. Their combined enthusiasm for the gaming world eventually led to the co-founding of Games Workshop in 1975.

Together, they turned their enthusiasm into the multi-million-selling gamebook series, publishing the first instalment in the Fighting Fantasy series in 1982. From there, its success and fan base rapidly grew.

Fighting Fantasy is the perfect way to get children who love games and problem-solving interested in books. The series, a pioneering genre, allows readers to guide the story’s direction, giving them narrative control. In every book, each decision, move and outcome are determined by the reader as they assume the role of the main character. The interactive aspect of the book ensures that the general plot of the book remains consistent. Yet, the story’s outcome ultimately depends on the reader’s decisions!

With such a loyal and dedicated fan base, the Fighting Fantasy series lives on to celebrate this 40-year milestone, providing the opportunity for new readers to discover this revolutionary world of fiction!