This is the section of the site where you can read up and learn more about the man behind the magic, Mr. Shigesato Itoi. This area is updated with new relevant information frequently, but if you have anything you would like to add or see corrected, please discuss in the forums..
Born 1948, he is the creator of the wonderful EarthBound (1991). He is a well known man in Japan, quite famous (rightfully so!), and believes deeply in individuality and respect.
Shigesato Itoi is a well learned man, having been to university and working in the video game development field for so many years. He can be a very out going, over-the-top kinda guy, which leads to some downfall, like for example in the case of Mother 3, and how such behaviour slowed development, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the project. Luckily enough for us, Itoi is clearly a perfectionist with a big heart, and this makes for some meaningful creativity.
Most definitely without any doubt, Shigesato Itoi is considered a genius at Nintendo of Japan, and teamed with Sheigeru Miyamoto, make for one heck of an unstoppable team. The 'dream team' of the videogame world, if you ask me!
I certainly for one hope that he and Miyamoto never stop to continue to bring us the best in the EarthBound series, and with the release of such titles as Mother 3, despite being released in Japan with no english counterpart, this is quite the reality. Let's hope it evolves to an english market once again and continues for years!
Mother 3 is a definite project in the works for Shigesato, as he has agreed and spoken about publicially, but he is definitely not giving away any shred of information easily. In fact, nobody is. There is literally no information available anywhere! (ED:Not anymore! Itoi is releasing bits of Mother 3 info on his site every two weeks! Rockin'!..)
By this time game development is probably long since finished. Boxed cartriges (its a GBA title, afterall!) are probably sitting with their little guides all wrapped up on warehouse shelves waiting to be thrown into the truck. But we wont see em. Not 'till April 20th, as announced by the man himself (Itoi-San) on his own blog. It's a good read, even in Babelfish.
BUT.. the wait of course makes it better come the time we are rewarded with a delicious new EarthBound title, right?! Well.. on April 20th..
"I don't believe in pain. I don't believe things should be difficult. I don't believe perseverence conquers all."
"They [The Beatles] showed us what freedom was, and how adults didn't have all the answers. I loved them."
"I think there are only two kinds of people in the world. My friends . . . and other people."
"I don't want to work on stuff I don't like."
"Sometimes you win by losing. Standard thinking said I was a loser; a man who couldn't make the grade at university; a quitter. (...) As it was, I had to open my eyes and look around; I had to be aware of what was going on around me."
"I wanted to create a game [EarthBound] with real characters; characters whom players would recognize in the people around them."
Shigesato Itoi Information
