Iwata brought up during an interview that he had spoken to Itoi about the worldwide interest in the MOTHER series: Shortly before and after the time of the Wii U’s release throughout the world, Shigesato Itoi gradually showed a reawakening interest in MOTHER content through his Internet presence. In any case, EarthBound never received a release in any country during the entirety of the Wii’s lifespan. There was some speculation that certain copyright issues were holding the game back from being re-released.

Despite multiple attempts by the fanbase to make their wishes for a re-release heard to Nintendo, which included phone calls and written letters to Nintendo headquarters throughout the world, the game remained absent.

When the Wii was released and the Virtual Console service was made public, however, EarthBound was nowhere to be found within the lists of available software. During E3 2005, Satoru Iwata teased EarthBound as a downloadable title on the upcoming Wii console, along with Excitebike and Punch-Out. The demand for EarthBound’s publication on the Virtual Console is as old as the Virtual Console service itself. The logo for the Virtual Console service. For the longest time, the re-release and download of the classic Super Nintendo RPG was one that only existed within the dreams of the game’s cult following. The release of EarthBound on the Virtual Console a journey that spanned the course of multiple years.

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