The 2006 Game Boy Advance title Mother 3 was re-released in Japan this week on the Switch Online service and it’s reignited discussion about why there hasn’t been a western localisation.
The series creator Shigesato Itoi has reportedly been bombarded with all sorts of “complaints and requests” and has now issued a response, reminding everyone it’s up to Nintendo. Here’s the machine translation (via IGN): “Please talk to Nintendo about that, not me”.
Nintendo of America’s former president Reggie Fils-Aimé, who has joked about Mother 3’s localisation in the past, has also commented on Mother 3’s latest release, mentioning how he “no longer” has a say in the matter.
There’s been plenty of debate about why Mother 3 hasn’t been released locally with the game’s producer mentioning a few years ago how the third entry’s “unique writing style”, which has also been labelled “controversial”, might be the issue. Still, that hasn’t stopped fans locally from creating an amazing translation patch.
So once again, it’s no longer up to the creator in this case, it’s Nintendo who gets to decide whether or not Mother 3 will ever be localised. If you do want to play the game on your Switch, learn more in our guide here on Nintendo Life.