The book originated as a short story of the same name, published in the August 1977 issue of "Analog Science Fiction and Fact". The novel was published on January 15, 1985. Later, by elaborating on characters and plotlines depicted in the novel, Card was able to write additional books in the "Ender's Game" series. Card also released an updated version of "Ender's Game" in 1991, changing some political facts to reflect the times more accurately (e.g., to include the recent collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War). The novel has been translated into 34 languages.