The creator of Mother 3 remaining a Japan-exclusive title to this day, despite launching on the Game Boy Advance in 2006. Nintendo has had the chance to release the game on the Virtual Console or through Nintendo Switch Online, yet Mother 3 has still yet to be officially localized.
Mother 3 had a notoriously troubled development, starting out as a Nintendo 64 DD game, before being canceled, and then reworked into a Game Boy Advance title. Mother series creator Shigesato Itoi has said that he doesn't want to make any other entries in the series and it has remained dormant since the release of Mother 3. The Mother fans of the world haven't forgotten the series, least of all Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai, who has included Mother characters as fighters in every entry in the series. It took a dedicated fan effort, but Mother 2 (known as EarthBound outside of Japan) was eventually brought to the Virtual Console, while the original Mother was released as EarthBound Beginnings. The two EarthBound games are now on Nintendo Switch Online, while Mother 3 is still absent.
The biggest effect that the Mother series has had on gaming is as an inspiration for other games, including Yume Nikki and the Lisa trilogy. The most popular game that was inspired by Mother is Undertale, which is a game steeped in references to the 16-bit era of JRPGs. Undertale creator Toby Fox was recently interviewed by the Mother Forever YouTube channel. Fox was asked about meeting Shigesato Itoi and any questions he wanted to ask him, and he revealed that he wanted to know if Itoi would ever consider making another entry in the Mother series.
Undertale's Creator Believes That Mother Is Done Without Itoi
According to Toby Fox, he would have been willing to help in the creation of another Mother game, even if the project was made without Itoi. He realized, however, that Itoi was happy with the Mother-inspired games, and suggested that Toby Fox make Undertale 2 (which he is - kind of - doing via the Deltarune series of RPGs) instead, so he never asked about another Mother game. Fox also realized that it wouldn't be Mother 4 without Itoi's involvement.
It's possible that the matter could be taken out of Itoi's hands in the future. There is a chance that Nintendo, HAL Laboratory, and Creatures Inc. would push to make a new Mother game and Itoi could give his blessing while choosing to not be involved. There's also a chance that the Mother trilogy could be remade in some capacity, with modern visuals, QoL improvements for the original Mother, and a reworked soundtrack. Itoi once turned down an EarthBound title on GameCube in the past, so he likely won't be involved in any remakes either. Nintendo has shown little interest in the Mother series, outside of its connection to the Super Smash Bros. franchise, and the popularity of games inspired by Mother has done little to inspire interest in a revival. If Mother 3 still isn't available outside of Japan, then the chances of a new entry in the EarthBound/Mother series seem slim, making the predictions of Undertale's Toby Fox feel all too likely.
Source: Mother Forever
