The Mother 3 fan-translation is one of the most professional, well put-together patches that the industry has ever seen. It was huge news when it was launching, and there's no doubt that Nintendo was very well aware of the situation. With that said, the Big N never reached out to shoot down the fan-translation or ask for it to be stopped.

The team behind the project was ready to halt all work if Nintendo asked them to do so, but that day never came. What did happen was an anonymous email from someone that claimed to be a localization producer. The email came in just days before the patch was set for release. All we really know is that the email itself seemed to come from Japan, and the person that penned it feared for the future of Mother/Earthbound when it came to Nintendo support outside of Japan.

You can read a portion of the email below, but make sure you click over and read the entire thing. This person believes a high-quality fan translation was enough to kill off the franchise's hopes outside of Japan. Do you believe that to be the case?

I know you’re having a pretty busy (and significant!) week with the Mother 3 patch’s release right around the corner. As a member of the game industry, I have to say I’m REALLY impressed with the results. It looks every bit as good as some professional localizations, and way better than most. Congratulations on all your hard work!

The reason I’m writing, though, is to appeal to your professionalism and ask that you don’t release it. I’m a little scared of all the Furies of the Internet this will unleash, but this might be my last chance to express an unpopular opinion.

Full email here