EarthBound creator Shigesato Itoi recently shared a few words about fan requests for a Mother 3 localization in English. Itoi shared a few words about the game in the Earthbound, USA documentary that was just released this week.
He started out by mentioning how he’d “love for people in the U.S. to play Mother 3.” Nintendo was apparently offered the fan translation to use, but it “wasn’t quite as simple as that.”
Itoi said:
“I’ve talked about it with Nintendo before. Apparently they were presented with the offer to use the (fan) 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.”
Mother 3 producer Shinichi Kameoka shared his own thoughts last year as to why there’s never been a localization – he speculated that it could come down to the challenge of “translating the charm and nuances” of Itoi’s writing. Former Reggie Fils-Aime also previously revealed that Mother 3 wasn’t a priority since the first game didn’t sell well, but during the 3DS days, Nintendo considered putting it on the eShop.
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