Mother 3 is coming to Nintendo Switch Online, but only in Japan.
Nintendo confirmed the news in the Japanese version of today’s Nintendo Direct. Mother 3 was not mentioned in the Western Nintendo Directs.
Mother 3 is one of the most hotly desired RPGs ever, having never received an official translation in North America despite the cult popularity of its predecessor, Earthbound. Rumors of an official localization persisted for years, with Nintendo even creating a parody video in which former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime blows up a journalist asking about the release.
Last year, speaking as part of a documentary titled Earthbound, USA, series creator Shigesato Itoi finally opened up about the release of the long-desired sequel, saying he would “love for people in the U.S. to play Mother 3.”
“I’ve talked about it with Nintendo before,” Itoi said. “Apparently they were presented with the offer to use the translation, but they said it wasn’t quite as simple as that. I think it’d be really interesting if they took up the offer. It’d be hard to make something like, say, an automobile with fans. But doing it with software, I believe there’d be a chance to make something that would be better than what the company could have made on their own.
“Usually, when I’m done with something, I’m done with it for good. You can’t give up on projects you are in the middle of, but when you put an end to something, it’s best to just leave it alone. The older you get, the more stories there are for you.”
The first two Mother games are available on Nintendo Switch Online in the West in officially translated form. Mother’s English translation version is called EarthBound Beginnings, and Mother 2’s is called EarthBound. Former Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aimé has said the decision not to localize Mother 3 was “based on the business needs and the business situation at the time”.
Catch up on everything announced during the Nintendo Direct to find out more of what’s coming to Nintendo Switch.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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