It has been no secret that fan games are under attack from major publishers and one company that has made it clear they do not want any fan projects under their IP being produced is Nintendo. With AM2R and Pokemon Uranium being prime examples, 2016 showed how the publisher does not want fans working with it’s IP despite other publishers like SEGA being supportive of the community.
One such fan project that has been in development for a long time was Mother 4 but with recent attacks toward fan projects, the development team made the decision to scrap all traces of the Mother franchise from the project. Below is an official statement from the developer.
This change is one part preventative measure, following several large fan project takedowns, and two parts acknowledging what we’ve actually been making – and what we’ve been making is a celebration of the games that meant a lot to us growing up, something familiar but also different. The game has grown up with us. We want to share that.
Most things will stay the same! This is still the story of Travis and his friends fighting the mysterious Modern Men. Leo still lights his smokes with paranormal fire. However, if something is associated with the official Mother games, it won’t be in this one. Mr. Saturn? Bon voyage, amigo. The title will also be changing.
While it’s a shame the Mother branding will be gone, the game will remain largely untouched from it’s current state of development. I personally feel this is a wise move on the developers part and it will ensure their creation will live on as a product everyone can enjoy.
Source: Developer’s Reddit Page