Of the many things we'll always remember about Reggie Fils-Aimé's reign as Nintendo of America president, the constant bombardment of "give us Mother 3" messages from fans will forever be right near the top of the list.
The game, which is a direct sequel to EarthBound (Mother 2 in Japan), has never been officially translated for western audiences despite its cult following. Fans were always quick to ask Reggie for a localised release at any given opportunity, so much so that the whole thing became one of several Reggie-related memes, similar to the classic 'my body is ready' line.
Back in 2014, when the likes of Reggie and the late Satoru Iwata led Nintendo through a more quirky, entertaining period of public showcases, the company made a point of referencing the Mother 3 requests in a fun little skit during E3:
Fast-forward to the present day, then, and yes, Reggie's still being asked about it. Here's a tweet he received yesterday following a message confessing his love for his first Zelda game:
https://twitter.com/vermont_boy/status/1381992488156692484?s=20
Reggie's response? Perfect.
Shortly after his resignation as Nintendo of America president, Reggie actually admitted that he was glad he'd no longer have to deal with Mother 3 requests. Oh poor Reggie, how naive you were.
Comments 43
Can they just like you know leave the man alone?
@Snatcher I was just saying the exact same words to my friends on Discord. The man doesn't even work at Nintendo anymore, leave the man alone.
Yeah, it's probably more newsworthy that Reggie is still being asked about Mother 3. Please tell me no one at least uses Ouija boards to pester Iwata on the subject.
Wait, scratch that, better not give the fandom any ideas...
I love how he uses a meme gif of himself as a response. But yes it's time to stop bothering the guy about this game.
How bout those people who want mother 3 so bad just emulate it or get a repro cart online. It's not hard. I got tired of waiting so that's exactly what i did! Yeah maybe it's a little underhanded but so is not releasing the game so people can legit buy the thing.
Make it available and I'll gladly pay for it but until then i don't feel one bit guilty.
Reggie by now has accumulated a bigger fanbase than Mother 3.
How about we get Reggie 2 instead?
ALttP is not the first Zelda.
Hah. I got you. I'm the best!
haha he loves it
Everyone asking for "Mother 3" should be more concerned with finding "Girlfriend 1" first
@Crockin yeah, seems to me that this was light hearted fun for both the tweeter and Reggie; a little callback to days of old.
The tears of Mother 3 fans sustain me
I'd checked the date for good measure... it's 2021 alright, who is still asking Reggie for Mother 3?!
I really wish people would stop lightheartedly asking this guy who's worth 50 million dollars and is adored by hundreds of thousands of people this question on social media, it's making me feel really bad for him 🥺 this gif meme was clearly a cry for help, his life won't be absolutely perfect until he can take one whole round-trip flight on his private jet without being forced to see and respond to this question on his phone.
Its not even that good imo! But well its strange enough
If anyone cares that much about mother 3, they could just Google it. I'll say no more.
@SpaceboyScreams You are dehumanizing a person based on their social status. A person should be treated with respect regardless of material gain or loss. This is why I have such a bone to pick with conflict theory and how it has shaped the post-modern world. This “us vs them” materialism only ends one way, the French Revolution. The oppressed become the new oppressors and the cycle continues.
Do not treat others as if their plights or grievances are not legitimate based on status.
@Moistnado @Zeldafan79
Emulation is exactly the thing people don't want to be forced to do for Mother 3. It's all about the novelty of having an official-localized version of the game as opposed to a (accurate) fan-localized one that can't be played on the Switch, legally.
We're never getting this damn game over here officially, are we
I like that Reggie still has fun even when answering his least favorite question, i’m 95% sure the original commenter was pulling his leg, so this was all in good fun.
Though it wouldn’t surprise me if there actually were still people pestering him for mother 3...
Why would anybody ask Reggie for this in the first place.
@N64-ROX yeah, both parties are clearly goofing
The gif answer makes it look like it was all in good fun. I hope people aren't honestly still pestering him with that question
@ModdedInkling I played it on my GBAsp. It has a proper D-Pad. I doubt it would be as good on Switch, having to verify via the internet before playing is rubbish and I wouldn't invest time in an rpg when, in a few years, the online service could be discontinued or I might be forced to pay a subscription just to continue with my save file. But that's just my opinion, I guess.
@ModdedInkling Honestly I don't see how Nintendo could release Mother 3 without taking the scissors to it. Wasn't there a patch for Fire Emblem Three Houses that toned down the description ofa students abusive marrage training? That was just talking about it, I can't imagine the things seen in Mother 3 would get a pass. It would be neat if they released Mother 3 in the US. I just can't see Nintendo doing it without pissing off fans.
Honestly I prefer the way it is now tbh. Mother 3 is out there in the freeist format it can be. It isn't bound by the corporate mandate to fit it to their image. It won't be locked to a system format (Because after the Fire Emblem NES release I don't trust Nintendo). I can play Mother 3 on my gba, or on my PC, or on my many retro handhelds.
@Arehexes
But aren't fans tolerable now? I think the huge number of requests for it means that they don't care about the issues within the game. They probably already know enough about the game to not/no longer care.
How free a game can be is not something that should really be taken into account when it comes to something like this. People play Breath of the Wild both on an official console or an emulator for different purposes. They want to play vanilla for the experience, and a modded version for fun. The same could be said with Mother 3 in the sense that owning an officially-localized version has more sense of value than playability.
@Moistnado
I highly doubt it would be a regular NSO release (if they ever decide to do GBA games). If anything, it would be getting the (stupid limited-time) Fire Emblem treatment.
Besides, there are several alternatives on the Switch that provide better D-Pads than the garbage Pro Controller one. I don't know about the Switch Lite, but I never heard complaints about that D-Pad.
Yeesh, leave the poor guy alone. He doesn't work for Nintendo anymore. It's beating a dead horse at this point. At least asking Doug Bowser would make more sense, though I doubt that'll move anywhere either.
To be honest, I WOULD like an official release of Mother 3. I like Beginnings and love Earthbound. At this point, I'm starting to lose hope and may have to settle on a repro cart or emulation. Not a fan of either option, but I also really want to play this game....
@ModdedInkling How naive. If Nintendo localized Mother 3 and made the changes necessary for the marketplace, the very fans who have been the loudest for fifteen years would be the loudest in complaining about "censorship", as they would insist on calling it.
Seems more like a maybe than a no.
Reggie hates Mother 3 like Gabe Newell hates the number 3.
@Zeldafan79 Yeah nintendo hates piracy but I think piracy wouldn't be nearly as bad if you could just buy their games
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Who is this ma outside the suit? He’s a walking corporate respond waiting to happen. I don’t get the love.
@ModdedInkling It's not the fans, Nintendo doesn't like having a target on their back for stuff like this. They have a history of doing it as recent as Fire Emblem Three Houses. Even older games that get re-released could have the toned down changes be used over the original (Ocarina of Time). When the Megaman Zero/ZX collection came out people still asked if it was the censored US version being used. Also let's not forget Nintendo's stunt with the Fire Emblem on the NES. Fans can buy this wonderful physical collection with a digital code....that isn't cool. Fire Emblem is a bigger series than Mother, so I don't see Nintendo even doing that much (if they did I will refuse to buy it much like the FE collection). Even more so with Nintendo the king of C&D not shutting down the translation project comes off as a "Welp we don't have to be in a damned if you do/don't situation".
Also I don't get your argument about the emulation thing. By free I meant not limited to the Switch. I can have options where I play it on, not just how. Honestly your argument makes Mother 3 sound bad, and people only want it for collection reasons...which isn't a good look for the game. Even if Nintendo officially released Mother 3 for Switch it will still be through emulation, and Nintendo isn't the best at that (Let alone the risk of them doing something dumb to the script). You are better off getting a GBA and a Everdrive if you want the vanilla experience. Since you're playing it on hardware it was made for. Also not everyone who plays games via emulation does it to mod games.
Honestly your arguments come off more of a "I want this game in my collection to say I officially own it" to be honest.
@ModdedInkling the original hardware is always better than emulation. Ultimately, a Switch release does not appeal to me. My GBA is much more sturdy than my flimsy Switch and Mother 3 looks better on a GBA size screen. If Nintendo released it, I'd want it in a box, on a cartridge for GBA and translated accurately... while Nintendo are never going to do this, many others already have, and I already have the game.
I want to have an actual localized Mother 3 too...
...but even I'm not dumb enough to pester someone who doesn't even work there anymore about it!
OK, but when are you gonna bring back the Bigfoot Pizza, Reggie?
One day he'll lift his sunglasses and laser-install Mother 3 directly into our robot minds. Only then will we understand.
We were all robots all along.
@-Juice- 😂🤣
Why the heck are they bugging Reggie freaking Fils amie? He doesn't own the game, and doesn't work there anymore.
They should have included English as a text option in the Japanese version of Mother 3.
When will they ever learn?
@KillerBOB Daaaaamn that's cold!
I mean it's clear that the guy who tweeted at Reggie is oing so in jest, from his tone. Also I mean, he has left the company, so itd still be nice to hear his word on why it never came over, even if its perhaps evident.
Haha I think he takes it all in good fun. I miss the guy being at E3.
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