Earthbound Miiverse update suggests more plans for franchise

Nintendo has launched a Miiverse announcement community for Earthbound, which suggests it's got further plans for the Mother franchise than the recent Virtual Console re-release.

Called Onett Times, the debut post is a welcome message from the MySpace-like Miiverse moderator Tom, pointing out the RPG's digital player's guide.

The community apparently exists as a hub for all news relating to Earthbound. However, since the Virtual Console re-release has already happened, it's hard to imagine what sort of news Nintendo might produce - unless there are more releases coming west?

Adding fuel to this fire of rampant speculation is a new post from creator Shigesato Itoi on the game's official site; Nintendo does seem to be promoting the cult-favourite quite heavily.

Earthbound, called Mother 2 in Japan, released in North America in 1995 but its recent Virtual Console release marks its European debut. It sold poorly but is considered a classic of the JRPG genre, especially as it throws out so many of its fellows' tropes. The first and third games, Mother and Mother 3, were not released in English. Western fans have long clamoured for a sequel or further localisation; Itoi doesn't seem keen on a fourth game.

Thanks, Gematsu.