Shigesato Itoi on Earthbound’s continued popularity, Mother 4, Iwata’s passing, more
Japanese outlet Game Watch interviewed Shigesato Itoi at an Earthbound event in Japan. The discussion has since been translated by Tuxedo Unmasked.
We’ve posted some of Itoi’s comments below. He addressed Earthbound’s continued popularity, Mother 4, Iwata’s passing, and several other topics. If interested, you can also read the full interview here.
On why the Mother series continues to be so popular…
Itoi: It’s the connection with modern day life and modern day places, I suppose. When you’re suddenly told “It’s dinner time!” right in the middle of playing “Dragon Quest,” you’re taken out of the setting, but it’s different with MOTHER. I think it’s good that it’s tied to modern day life.
On how the first Mother was released 26 years ago…
Itoi: I’m overwhelmed with emotion. You see, even if I forget about it, the fans don’t. That’s why, quite honestly, I don’t think of MOTHER as belonging to me. It’s the same with everything else as well, but it’s just amazing that there are people alive who have played the game, and it really belongs to them.
A little while back, around 500 people rented out a hotel and the people holding a MOTHER party came to interview me. The band played on for 24 hours straight and they threw a party with the help of the hotel staff, all the while having the attendees participate in the MOTHER story. I have to go along with it. I think it’s great, in the sense that I had been the one to plant that seed.
On Mother 4…
Itoi: I’d love to run a marathon while holding my breath, but as with MOTHER 4, that’s just not feasible. People in America are always saying that “4 is on its way to being made,” but that’s simply a rumor. (laugh) I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be now. Of course, only showing the very fringe elements and giving the impression that it was being worked on was something I did thoroughly with MOTHER 2… and 3.
On Iwata’s passing…
Itoi: Just the other day, I was talking to my staff and saying that “if Iwata were here, he’d say something like such and such in this case.” It was a conversation about how I’d love to have Iwata here in various situations, and he’s particularly needed in the baseball industry – stuff like that. (laugh) Sometimes I do an imitation of Iwata’s voice.
Iwata’s birthday is coming up, so I’ve been thinking that once more this year I’ll need to talk about some story I can share about Iwata. If I don’t, I feel like that grief everyone is feeling will simply grow.
I’d love to have a day where Iwata would come back to us and talk with everyone. I mean, he only passed away this year, you know? Even now I’m still filled with sadness. There’s been nothing like this, even among my own family.
On why he’s drifted away from gaming…
Itoi: Well, there are those that are too hard for me to get into in a serious manner, and those that are just nothing more than endless variations on Tetris. I don’t really need either of those types.
I want to negotiate. Some sort of communication where something interesting comes along and, in return, I need to give up something interesting. There’s nothing that lets me do things like that.
“Pikmin” was interesting in the beginning, but it’s become more like Go with each iteration. I end up feeling like “there has to be something else I should be doing” and fading out and, with smart phones, I feel like “why do I need to do this?”
