Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has said fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a revival of the cult classic Mother/Earthbound series, including a long-awaited western release of Mother 3.
Speaking on the Kinda Funny podcast as part of a press tour for his new memoir Disrupting the Game, Fils-Aimé was asked about Nintendo franchises he was looking forward to – before Mother 3 was inevitably brought up in conversation.
“How long did it take until Earthbound and the Mother franchise came up? Don’t hold your breath,” Fils-Aimé – who departed Nintendo three years ago – said. “Again, I’m not there, I don’t know what’s going on.”
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Fils-Aimé went on to discuss past efforts to bring Earthbound to the west – something he credited the late Nintendo company president Satoru Iwata as having helped champion.
“While Mr Iwata was alive, he really understood the passion that fans had for the Mother series and you need to remember that it was under his watch Earthbound Beginnings was first brought on to the Virtual Console platform,” Fils-Aimé explained.