The Mother franchise is celebrating its 20th anniversary, so the September 2019 issue of Nintendo Dream had a 13-page feature dedicated to it. There was also an interview with Naho Sugimoto, a designer at Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun (Hobonichi), Shigesato Itoi’s company. Sugimoto was asked about the possibiity of Mother 4. Even though the team has stated in the past that they are not making it, they are still being asked about it. Sugimoto also says that “it’s already impossible for Itoi to create it, and we’d be glad if someone else creates it. This has never changed either”.
30th anniversary.
Why is it “impossible for Itoi to create it”?
Anyway, wasn’t someone else already making Mother 4? I remember seeing videos of it years ago and being amazed by how cool it looked.
A fan was working on Mother 4, yes. But ironically, Nintendo took it down.
That sucks. : (
Nintendo never took down Mother 4. The creators just decided to change any major reference to the Mother series in the project just in case Nintendo decided to do something. But as far as we know, that didn’t happened
It’s “impossible” in their viewpoint because Itoi believes he’s done all we can for Earthbound. He’s stated a few times that he’s satisfied with how it ended and doesn’t feel the need to take it any further. For all intents and purposes, he’s done.
And given how Earthbound still hasn’t gotten another game, it’s likely Nintendo doesn’t want to make another game unless he’s involved. Doubly so given Satoru Iwata was another large influence in regards to Earthbound and he’s sadly passed on.
I wonder if he would ever be on board for remaking the trilogy and releasing as a collection.
What sentinel13 said. For Itoi, I’m pretty sure Mother was meant to be a one time trilogy. Metroid was once meant to be a trilogy, as well, with Super Metroid meant to be the final, 3rd entry. Much like how Alien was meant to be a trilogy. (And is why it skipped the N64 and didn’t get a new entry til the GCN & GBA.)
The world is glad we got more Metroid though- the first Prime rivals Super as the best in the series.
Metroid Prime is definitely the best of the 3D ones so far while Super Metroid is the best 2D. As for the best Metroid, it’s still Super Metroid for me. Prime does come at an almost close second, though.
And speaking of new games, I hope the ending to Samus Returns, and the Chozo Memories, is gonna go somewhere. I wouldn’t mind a remake of Metroid Fusion. As for the Chozo Memories I hope they are a hint that a post Metroid Fusion game is gonna reveal a rogue group of Chozo are still alive and have them replace the Space Pirates as the big threat. It’d also be a smart way to bring Metroids back from extinction, too, as this rogue group could have started breeding their own Metroids. Of course, they’d have to explain why these Chozo have been in hiding if that’s the plan but I’m sure Sakamoto will come up with something.
Perhaps too much time has passed- so much that even he doesn’t know what to do next with his series. So instead of churning out something half-heartedly, he lets it sit there until someone else comes up with something.
One example I can think of is the Mary Poppins sequel from last year, Mary Poppins Returns. The original came out 50 years ago and only just now did it get a continuation, and to my knowledge, the only person to work on the recent sequel with any involvement with the original was Dick Van Dyke (pretty sure that guy will outlive the eventual heat death of the universe). Maybe it was the director or producer or the people involved in the original not knowing where it would go next, so they let it be, until some people down the line would look at it and say “THIS is what’s going to happen next.”
In fact, it might be true of myself. When I first started high school, I had ideas for a sci-fi series inspired by the first Metroid Prime (the main subject was a substance found in the depths of a planet people didn’t dare go near as spacecraft would routinely go missing if they got close). It’s been nothing but a passing thought for the past few years; if I were to try to do it again, it would be impossible for me to create the original vision I had, and it would likely be something quite different, quite foreign.
This is what I think when they say “it’s impossible for him to make it.”
Itoi is turning 71 years old this year
At least give us Mother 3! Or, a (physical) collection for the Switch with all three games in one cartridge. How many gamers have to beg for Mother 3 before we get what we want?
And WE would be glad if someone- I’m not naming any names- but if someone would get MOTHER 3 over here in the States. We’ve been begging for over a decade.
And the word is out there: Itoi himself said he would be okay with someone else to taking up the mantle and doing MOTHER 4. If it’s what the man wants, I support it and whoever decides to do it, Nintendo and their legal department be damned.
Apparently, Nintendo’s DMCA department says otherwise…..