Shigesato Itoi, the creator behind the Mother/Earthbound series, and former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé have asked fans not to bother them about a localization of Mother 3 after the game was added to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in Japan.

Called Mother in Japan and Earthbound in the West, the RPG series has gained a cult following in the years since its release due to its off-beat sense of humor, charming visuals, and emotionally affecting stories. The third game in the series, however, was never brought to the West, despite many cries from fans for its release.

Calls for localization have recently had a resurgence after Nintendo announced that Mother 3 would be coming to Nintendo Switch Online in the Japanese version of the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase on 2/21. The Game Boy Advance game trended on Twitter for hours after the Direct, with many fans disheartened by the lack of news on a Western release.

This culminated with a tweet from series creator Shigesato Itoi, who simply said “Please talk to Nintendo about that, not me.” Itoi previously commented in support of localization in the documentary Earthbound, USA, saying that he “would love for people in the US to play Mother 3,” but Nintendo said that a localization would not be as simple as just a translation.

そのへんのことは、ぼくじゃなく任天堂さんに言ってください。 https://t.co/Mm3Q8e8jd1

— 糸井 重里 (@itoi_shigesato) February 21, 2024

Reggie Fils-Aimé, the previous president of Nintendo of America and a well-known name among Nintendo fans, followed suit, saying that it is no longer his decision to make. During his time at Nintendo, he often referenced fans’ desire for a Western version of the game, going as far as to include it as part of a skit at E3 2014.

No longer mine as well. https://t.co/zIBPE6GqIa pic.twitter.com/a2xZuCHq7S

— Reggie Fils-Aimé (@Reggie) February 22, 2024

In a conversation with Game Awards host Geoff Keighley as part of his audiobook, Disrupting the Game, he said that he had talked with then-Nintendo President Satoru Iwata about localizing Mother 3, but cited poor initial sales of Earthbound as a reason for holding back.

Though the release of Mother 3 on the Japanese Nintendo Switch Online does not mean that the game will never come to the West, it does appear as though they have no plans to do so anytime soon. Fans of the series who want to experience the game will have to use a fan translation or wait in the hopes that Nintendo will someday come around on the idea.