10 Japanese Video Games That Will Never Be Released In The West

Cancelled in 2000, Earthbound 64 first began development in 1994, and was delayed multiple times prior to its eventual cancellation. In Japan however, a version of the game was released in 2006, entitled Mother 3, and was generally well received by fans and critics alike. The team behind the game had planned to finish development in 1999, but continued working on the project for several more years. Eventually, Satoru Iwata made the decision to cancel the 3D version of Earthbound in favour of a more functional 2D alternative.

In the game, players take on the role of Lucas, a young boy with psychic abilities, tasked with preventing an invading army from destroying the world. Like previous entries in the series, the game utilises a top-down perspective, requiring players to manage a small team of playable characters as they explore a 2-Dimensional environment. Gameplay is divided between exploration and combat, the latter of which is predominantly turn-based.

After over a decade of development, Mother 3 was finally released in Japan, but was considered too costly for an international release. The game sold over 200,000 copies in the first week of its release, and was one of the highest selling games in Japan in 2006. Despite this, there are currently no plans to release the game worldwide, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Apparently, Nintendo hates money.