Today we are bringing to you an interview with the Director of Mother 3, Nobuyuki Inoue, who reveals some important backstory on the title’s sales, on the Brownie Brown‘s break-up, and we had the occasion to ask something on the future of the Mother series to Shigesato Itoi.
1) Where do you work now?
I work in sayonaraoyasumi Co.ltd (さよならおやすみ株式会社) that I started at 2 years ago, it has only one person for staff, me.
‘sayonaraoyasumi’ is my old twitterID, but now don’t use, it means ‘goodbye-goodnight’ in English. The office is in Tokyo Mitaka city, same place my home is.
2) Do you still develop videogames?
I still develop videogame with friends who belong to Brownies Co.ltd (株式会社ブラウニーズ). They had developed Mother 3 in BrownieBrown Co.ltd（株式会社ブラウニー・ブラウン).
3) Why did you leave Nintendo?
BrownieBrown had two way to survive. One was to develop with Nintendo ex. Mother 3, Magical Starsign (マジカルバケーション), while the other one was to develop with other company ex. Professor Layton (Level-5), Heroes of Mana (Square-Enix).
Some staff wanted to deepen relation with Nintendo, and other staff, about the same number, thought that develop with any other companies was better.
BrownieBrown was divided into two companies, 1-UP Studio (ワンナップスタジオ) inside Nintendo, and Brownies（ブラウニーズ), which is outside; and my company sayonaraoyasumi is outside Nintendo too.
4) How was working with Nintendo?
BrownieBrown was a Nintendo subsidary. I worked in BrownieBrown. Brownie Brown undertook work from Nintendo and produced it. This contract was sounded out by Nintendo.
I liked this title for all the time and wanted to be concerned with production, I undertook it with pleasure. I was in charge of direction and scenario support.
5) Do you want to tell us something about the localization of マザースリー 3?
I’ll be glad if the localization of Mother 3 could released, but as far as i know its very difficult.
6) When you said Brownie Brown had two way to survive you mean that Mother 3 didn’t sell well enough?
Mother 3 sales were enough, but next title’s sales were not.
7) Do you know if there is a chance for a Mother 4?
I can’t say about Mother 4, because it’s Nintendo’s property.
8) What do you think of 1-Up Studio?
I think that 1-Up Studio has a good environment, because Nintendo supports them very much. But that’s only for growing young staff, not like me. I’m older than them, but I have some skills they don’t have. I’ll find other way (to develop games NdR).
9) Do you plan to develop games for Nintendo again?
Still, I like nintendo. I want to work together if I have a chance.
Unfortunately after asking Shigesato Itoi about Mother, this was his answer, clear, bright and that makes us think about that Mother could be a definitive closed chapter:
“Currently, I do not accept interviews on the games I created. I am very afraid I cannot answer any questions at this moment.”