Unfortunately, neither Mother 3 nor an Earthbound remake were anywhere to be found during Nintendo’s star-studded E3 2021 presentation. Though there were a few fan-requested revivals like Metroid Dread and an Advance Wars remake, Mother 3 wasn’t among them.
Where was Mother 3 at the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct?
The Earthbound series’ absence is to be expected at this point. However, when canceled games are resurrected, and Nintendo is known for dropping major surprises with no notice, fans are always on guard for a potential announcement. Unfortunately, not even Terry Crews can convince Nintendo to release an official Mother 3 English translation.
Mother 3 is the third game in the critically-acclaimed role-playing series Mother. It follows a revolving cast of characters, including fan-favorite Lucas, throughout a story that takes place across eight chapters. It’s an emotional story that focuses on Lucas’s family as well as the return of Mother 2’s antagonist, Porky, and the Pigmask Army.
Though it’s still massively popular, the game is notorious for never receiving an official North American release. Despite finally being made available for the Wii U Virtual Console for Japanese players in 2016, Mother 3 has yet to receive an official English release. An unofficial English fan translation from the team at the Starmen.net EarthBound fansite has been available since October 2008, but Nintendo has remained silent about any plans for a future official release.
In April 2021, former Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime sparked a discussion about a potential Mother 3 release after tweeting about the game. He lamented being “trolled” every time he thinks it’s time to play the English version (referring to the fan translation), and indicated he might play it that weekend. Fils-Aime is no stranger to rabid fans asking for an official release and often trolled fans with references to the game during and after his tenure with Nintendo.
It’s clear that, from Fils-Aime’s actions in the past and Nintendo’s own acknowledgment of fan campaigns for a Mother 3 release, the Big N is well aware that this is a game players are jonesing for. But unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that there’s anything in the cards for a Mother 3 release at this time. There is a silver lining, though: there’s always E3 2022.
