MrBeast and James Patterson novel reportedly struggles with audience

MrBeast and James Patterson’s The Most Dangerous Games reportedly has four-digit pre-orders ahead of release

A report claims The Most Dangerous Games has recorded only four-digit pre-orders ahead of its release.

A report has raised questions about pre-release sales for The Most Dangerous Games, the upcoming novel co-written by YouTube creator MrBeast and bestselling author James Patterson.

Growing up I thought books were boring, in reality I just didn’t read anything that actually interested me. Which is why I teamed up with James Patterson to write The Most Dangerous Games! For many people this might be the first book they actually read (and hopefully enjoy haha)… pic.twitter.com/AorY6dqhAu

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) September 1, 2026

According to Semafor, citing anonymous sources described as being close to the project, the novel is tracking poorly in pre-sales.

The report states that pre-orders were in the four digits as of last week, which it said represented a small fraction of the sales needed to justify the fees paid to Patterson and MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson.

The Most Dangerous Games has been marketed as a collaboration between “the world’s #1 creator” and “the world’s #1 bestselling author”. The book centres on a high-stakes competition and has drawn comparisons to the premise of Squid Game.

MrBeast has also used his YouTube audience to promote the novel. A YouTube Short titled “Read My Book, You Could Win $1,000,000” was released as part of the promotional campaign, offering readers the chance to win $1 million.

The announcement also drew critical reactions on X, with users questioning MrBeast’s comments about books and his audience.

One user wrote, “Growing up I thought books were boring… Yeah man, we can tell,” while another joked that the project was an attempt to “squeeze even more money out of my audience”. Another user summarised the promotion as, “Books suck, read mine”.