Ask any hardcore JRPG fan what they think of Mother 3, and you’ll likely be knee-deep in localization rants in no time since it never officially came out in the west. Though former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé claims particular business hurdles got in the way more than anything else.
For those unfamiliar with this whole kerfuffle, Mother is a quirky RPG series that didn’t see much success outside of Japan. Most people abroad are more accustomed to the franchise’s western title of EarthBound, especially the cult-classic SNES release (which was Mother 2) in 1995. In 2006, Mother 3 came out in Japan, but Nintendo never localized it in the west.
