There are many, let’s call them “curious things” that happen in the gaming industry that we’ll never fully understand. For example, remember that Xbox “Business Update” thing that happened a while back? Yeah, we still don’t understand that. Sony has mysteries like why they thought putting the PS3 at $600 at launch was a “good idea,” which backfired on them, as you know. Then, for Nintendo, as the longest-reigning console maker out there, they’ve had plenty of mysteries about the things they’ve done. But the one that fans are still wondering about is the mystery of Mother 3. Today, that mystery continued in the worst way.
If you didn’t notice, there was a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase today, and while it did feature “some titles” from 3rd party developers, it wasn’t exactly a “riveting thing,” as fans have noted online. The twist is that there was also a showcase going on in Japan, and they had a much different result among the fanbase. Specifically, they revealed that Mother 3 would be coming to Nintendo Switch Online during their Direct. As you can imagine, once fans got word of this, they were pretty mad and pretty sad that it wasn’t coming to the West still:
So, let’s answer the question right now, “Why hasn’t the game been localized in the West?” Well, the answers keep changing, which is why the mystery has grown so confusing over the years. First, if you don’t know the name, “Mother” is what it’s called in Japan. In the West, we know the franchise as Earthbound, the SNES cult classic that was “doomed from the start” but gained such a loyal fanbase that fans have asked for the remaining two games since its SNES arrival. Sure enough, we did get “Earthbound Beginnings” on Nintendo Switch Online in the West, but the third and final game remains elusive.
Allegedly, Nintendo had planned to localize it but made a “business decision” not to do so as they felt it might be non-profitable. Other people claim that the game’s story might cause “controversy” in the West, and that’s why they didn’t do it. In the tweet above, one person noted that the game’s music is so heavily copyrighted that it would be impossible to take out of Japan and nearly impossible to replicate properly, which would hurt certain parts of the gameplay.
As you can see, the mystery continues, and those who want to play this game will have to keep waiting.
