Itoi recently hinted on Twitter, translated by Earthbound Central, that the classic role-playing series could return in some form.
"Since it's now okay to blurt this out, here goes: the 'MOTHER republication' thing I mentioned briefly before is making progress," he said.
"It's not '[MOTHER] 4', though! This has to do with making 'MOTHER' playable. I can't give out any details just yet, but I do at least need to say that it isn't 4."
Mother is the name of the series in Japan, and the second game was renamed Earthbound when it released in North America.
It is noted that when Itoi refers to Mother, he is usually discussing the series as a whole unless a numbered game is specified. This has led to speculation that he is referring to a compilation of the series, with all three games available on a new platform.
The first game in the series, Mother, was released in 1989 on the Famicom in Japan. The sequel released for the SNES in 1995, renamed Earthbound for its international release.
Mother 3 released on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, and was only available in Japan.
The series has established a cult following due to its unique characters, themes and quirky sense of humor. Nintendo has encountered complications re-releasing Earthbound internationally in the past due in part to licensing music sampling from artists including The Beatles.
A return of the series would likely be limited to Japan, like the Game Boy Advance re-releases of the first two games. However there is always a slim chance that an international release is a possibility.
The series has only become more popular in the west due to its reputation and limited availability, along with the inclusion of characters like Ness and Lucas in the Super Smash Bros series.
Watch a video of Earthbound below:
Edited by Jacob, 03 February 2013 - 10:46 AM.
