EarthBound Creator Wants Fans to Talk to Nintendo About Mother 3 Localization

Gamers calling for an English release of Mother 3, the third game in the EarthBound series, should really bring their case directly to Nintendo, the franchise's creator has told fans. Discussions regarding such a potential localization have popped up online following the recent announcement that the cult classic JRPG has finally become playable on current-generation hardware — but only in Nintendo's home market of Japan.

Released in 1989, the original Mother set itself apart from its contemporaries by having a modern setting and by parodying the tropes associated with fantasy RPGs at the time. The title became one of the bestselling games in Japan that year, and it was followed by two sequels, both of which also became hits in the region. WhileMother and Mother 2 ended up receiving English localizations in the forms of EarthBound Beginnings and EarthBound, respectively, Mother 3 never received that treatment despite it sometimes being considered by many to be the best game in the series.

Those asking for an English localization of Mother 3 should go talk to Nintendo, franchise creator Shigesato Itoi remarked in a Twitter post. The veteran writer was responding to a fan who told Itoi that they hoped an English version of the third Mother game would be released someday. This exchange came after Mother 3 and several other classic games were added to Nintendo Switch Online, including Mother 3.

The recent addition of Mother 3 to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service was revealed during the Japanese version of the February 21 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. This release of the Game Boy Advance classic developed by Brownie Brown and HAL Laboratory, however, is only available in Japan.

Mother 3 is often hailed as one of the best Nintendo-published RPGs of all time, and its lack of an English localization is a popular topic among gamers. Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime previously claimed that it did not make any business sense to go with such a