"No more Mother (Earthbound) games"- Shigesato Itoi

[granville]

Well here's some sad news (for me at least). In an interview, Shigesato Itoi, the main creator of the Mother series (Earthbound in the US) said that he would not be making any more Mother games. It was in an interview with a young Japanese writer. Here's the relevant part-

A portion of a 1101 interview that involves Mr. Itoi and Mr. Shiraiwa...

Itoi: ...games demand many more lines of dialogue despite the fact that the main characters don’t talk, so I couldn’t keep making them. That’s why I felt deep down after making three of them (Earthbound titles), “Well, that was a neat experience.”

Shiraiwa: So you’re done with them?

Itoi: Yes, that’s right.

It's sad to know this. Maybe he'll change his mind someday. But for now, there's not much of a bright future for the series, unless they finally decide to release it outside Japan, or remake the games later on.

http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=105237
http://earthboundcentral.com/2009/11/still...e-mother-games/

 

[Vidboy10]

Kinda old news...

 

[Raika]

It doesn't really bother me much... :x

 

[granville]

News to me... and I'm sad.

 

[Cablephish]

I'm pretty sad too Granville. I recently started to play Mother 3 again, since it was that great a game. Anyway it's sad to hear the the creator himself say this.

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

Yes, because all franchises end after the creator wants them to.

 

[shakirmoledina]

eaRthbound and mother 3 were both great games and sadly i guess we have to see other titles (maybe it was too difficult for them to come up with a better script)

Quote - One who imagines himself to be all-knowing will surely suffer on account of his ignorance

 

[JumpMan3]

I believe he said in a another interview that he would like to see someone else take on the mother series.

I'm sure they will make a mother 4 sometime down the line. I just hope when M4 does come out Nintendo makes sure it is as good as when Itoi was woking on it.

 

[8BitWalugi]

Kinda old news...

Actually, people might've wondered if he had changed his mind since 2006/7.

And also...

 

[Vidboy10]

Actually, people might've wondered if he had changed his mind since 2006/7.

I really doubt it man, Itoi puts ALOT of effort in his games and for doing it since 1989 i think he just wants to take a LONG break from the gaming industry.

 

[8BitWalugi]

Actually, people might've wondered if he had changed his mind since 2006/7.

I really doubt it man, Itoi puts ALOT of effort in his games and for doing it since 1989 i think he just wants to take a LONG break from the gaming industry.

Well, actually, that's what Mato wrote on EBC.

 

[EnigmaXtreme]

What would sell is all 3 games, in english on the DS

 

[geminisama]

What would sell is all 3 games, in english on the DS

Too bad this wont ever happen. Maybe in Japan, but we'd never see it localized.
Sad news, read this at EBC.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I use that a little too much but it's fitting. I loved Mother games. It just "fuck you" to all the dumbass generic RPG storylines and systems. Still, that's a lame excuse to not make another game. "Well, it's a lot of dialogue, and I'm just too much of a lazy fuck to write up new ones". Hopefully it will live on through fan hacks and the like.

 

[Hop2089]

It's a tragedy but all good things have to come to an end.

 

[CockroachMan]

That's what every game designer should do with every IP. If you think you already made enough for a series and there's nothing more that you can do.. just end it.

I don't understand why people think game series should go on forever.. that doesn't happen with movies, books or any other kind of media.. let the man work on other stuff.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

That's what every game designer should do with every IP. If you think you already made enough for a series and there's nothing more that you can do.. just end it.

I don't understand why people think game series should go on forever.. that doesn't happen with movies, books or any other kind of media.. let the man work on other stuff.

Well, I do agree with that, I just felt more could have been done for Mother/Earthbound. There's definitely some franchises that have gone on for too long and others that have died long ago but are still being dragged along, and I wouldn't want that to happen to Mother. I would've at least wanted an official Mother 3 translation for NTSC and PAL or maybe Mother 4 to finish everything.

 

[Cablephish]

Mother 3 had a nice ending, although it was very sad. I guess the story felt a bit incomplete for me. I don't remember whether the world was saved or not with the last cut scene. I guess I'll play the game again, just to take it in a bit more.

Also, the translation was done really well. It probably would've been greater than a translation done by Nintendo. A lot of things would've been censored as well, such as:

Spoiler

- the "air machine" mermaids. I laughed everytime I went to one.
- possibly all 6 of the Magypsies
- a bit of the language
- the mushrooms that you eat and makes the game all trippy on Tanetane island (first time I played through it I ate the mushrooms. I wonder if you have to?
- Flint's temper tantrum
edit: - not to mention the room of toilets in Porky's building, with all the fountains that look like him peeing water. I lol'd

If they were to bring this wonderful game here, it would've been bombed with censorship. It would've been like smudging the genuine Mona Lisa's face if it came to North America.

 

[blackdragonbaham]

didn't even beat one of the games,
but started with earthbound, and my impression of it is that it was very funny, and not that oldfashioned and serious like other j rpg's:. and i often caught me out with a laugh in the face cause of the curious enemy groups and the story:. so surely a pity:.
rip mother

 

[Rock Raiyu]

I have a question, and this is a very serious question. No trolling or anything...

What is Mother (Earthbound)?