Shigesato Itoi confirmed on his website that oft-rumoured Mother 3 for the GBA is nearing completion.

The creator of the cult-favorite Nintendo RPG series Mother, Shigesato Itoi, has confirmed in a post on his website that at long last Mother 3 is nearing completion. This after a troubling development history that switched the game from the N64 64DD failed add-on, to the N64 itself before finally sinking into obscurity for years (despite living rumours of GCN or GBA development activity.) It is now confirmed for certain the game will be released on the GBA, and will be in Japanese gamer's hands early next year.

The Mother series, perhaps better known to western gamers as Earthbound, has remained popular in Japan where it most recently saw a combo release of Mother 1+2 for the GBA last year. In the Western markets however, where the game has garnered a much smaller if fiercely dedicated following, the series is likely best known by its trademark icon Ness of Super Smash Brothers fame. The Mother games are generally known and adored for being (often) outrageously off-beat and funny while offering an engrossing story and solid RPG gameplay. Doubtlessly, with all the time and effort Itoi and his teams have poured into this anticipated follow-up, the new game will prove a breath of fresh air for RPG fans and a wish fulfilled for Earthbound fans in general.

A translated portion of Itoi's post, thanks to super fan-site StarMen.net:

After some discussion with Nintendo, I've decided to make a slightly early announcement here on Hobonichi. I've worried people quite a bit this whole time, but I'm happy to report that Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance is nearing release.

I've thought to myself, "It should be all right now that it's this far along," on many occasions, but I always made sure not to announce anything until I could say that it was "ABSOLUTELY all right." At any rate, this time I've decided to try and be reserved about everything. It looks like its release date will be about one season away, and I'm in the middle of doing many work retreats to get it finished. I'm going to work especially hard for a short while longer to get everything done.

By announcing this, I'm sure I'll receive all sorts of questions, but I'm probably going to stay quiet about Mother 3 until just before its release. I know the importance of publicity, but what I feel is that I want players to REALLY enjoy Mother 3. So until just before the game comes out, I'm going to remain as quiet as possible.

In any case, we're working on Mother 3. I'm happy as well that it's reached the point where we can make an announcement. Thank you to all who have waited patiently. Please forget about it again for a short while.

Lets hope Nintendo Europe and America wisely choose to pick this game up for release. We will have more information on the game as the development cycle continues to wind down and Japanese media coverage ramps up.