Mother 3 Comes to Nintendo Switch Online in Japan Only

Fans of Nintendo's Mother series of games were dealt a cruel hand this week with Nintendo confirming that Mother 3 is finally coming to Nintendo Switch Online, but not for everyone. Announced this week amid the Nintendo Direct news for the month, Nintendo said that Mother 3 is coming to Nintendo Switch Online for subscribers in Japan only. Unfortunately for those outside of Japan, there's been no indication yet that the game will come to Nintendo Switch Online in other regions, though that's not wholly unexpected given the game's history even if it is a bit disappointing.

Mother 3 of course didn't make an appearance in the Nintendo Direct that many were talking about Wednesday morning, but news of Mother 3 coming to Nintendo Switch Online was shared on socials by those who tuned into Japan's version of the Nintendo Direct. Like other Nintendo Switch Online drops that happen right when they're announced, Mother 3 is available in Japan's Nintendo Switch Online catalog right now.

What's the Deal With Mother 3?

Mother 3 announced for Japan Switch Online https://t.co/nBwZTk9j61

— Wario64 (@Wario64) February 21, 2024

If you're not very familiar with the Mother series of games which are known as "EarthBound" in North America, you may be wondering why people are clamoring so hard for Mother 3 to come to the Nintendo Switch Online service. It's less about that, however, and is more so tied to people asking for Mother 3 in general. As the third game in the Mother series, Mother 3 went through a tumultuous development process when it was originally announced in 1996 with a planned release on the Nintendo 64 via the 64DD device. When that Nintendo 64 peripheral failed to make an impact, the game was cancelled altogether only to be revived later as a Game Boy Advance title.

Long after it was initially announced, the game finally released for the GBA in 2006, but it never got a release in North America. It never got an official English translation either, so while people outside of Japan have of course been able to play Mother 3 through regional copies, there's no easy, authentic way to play the game in English.

All that considered, it's easy to see why today's announcement that Mother 3 is coming to Nintendo Switch Online in Japan is a monkey's paw scenario for many who've been asking for it to be added to the service just as EarthBound and EarthBound Beginnings are available in North America. Despite the brief blip in Mother 3 news from today's announcement, there's still no indication at this time that the game will ever get the English release that people have been asking for.