Amazon Answers Questions on Fake Strategy Guides but Stays Vague
Amazon Japan G.K. answered a set of questions from Game*Spark about books sold on Amazon.co.jp that claim to be game strategy guides but whose content is questionable, the outlet reported on October 30.
3 sources 1h ago
Reporting from 3 sources: GameBusiness.jp, Inside, Game Spark.
Why it matters
Amazon's reply says violations of its content guidelines are the trigger for removal, not the use of generative AI, so the answer leaves open whether any of the specific guides the outlet has flagged are under investigation or due for suspension.
Key Facts
- Amazon Japan gave no individual answers to the six questions Game*Spark submitted on book screening, AI content, rights, flagged products, refunds, and future measures.
- Amazon said it acts against content that violates its content guidelines regardless of whether the content was made with AI.
- Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing service requires disclosure of text and images created with generative AI.
The statement, relayed through Amazon Japan's public relations department, gave no individual answers to the six questions. Amazon said it has set content guidelines for what can be sold and takes measures against violating content regardless of whether it was made with AI, combining prevention with continuous store inspection to detect and remove violations. Amazon also said it will keep watching the store as publishing and technology change. The questions covered sales screening, verification of accuracy, handling of generative AI content, confusion with official publications, investigation of flagged products, refunds for buyers, and future measures. The retailer's Kindle Direct Publishing service requires creators to disclose text and images made with generative AI, and its content guidelines bar descriptions that mislead purchasers or misstate a book's contents.
Game*Spark has tracked the guides on Amazon.co.jp since March 2026, when it reported on books covering titles such as Poko a Pokemon and Arknights: Endfield that claimed to be the "ultimate game guide" and to "completely include all data," while the sample pages read as unfocused. When the original listings came down, four new suspicious guides were confirmed, some with the game title misspelled.
Later listings pushed the pattern further. A book claimed to clear the 13 titles and bonus game in Ganbare Goemon Daishugo! in 88 pages, with one page of boss charts. A guide for the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, due November 5, was on sale before the game itself. Similar listings turned up for Final Fantasy Resonance and a Fire Emblem title given as Manjisenko in one account and Banjisenko in another, listed as a working title. The outlet's advice to buyers is to check the publisher and author, confirm whether a guide is official, and use sample pages where possible.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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