Earthbound,known asMother 2in Japan, is remembered as one of the best Japanese RPGs of all time. Unfortunately, Nintendo never released the complete trilogy worldwide, withMother 3only ever available in Japan. However, that hasn’t stopped the series from earning a strong cult following amongfans of old-school JRPGs.
Now, some fans have a chance to get their hands on an exclusive and pricey new piece ofEarthboundmerchandise. Fans willing to shell out about $200 can be one of a select few to purchase a limited editionEarthbound/Motherwristwatch.
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The watch in question is a Casio G-Shock wristwatch with officialMotherbranding on the face and back. Its release is part of the larger “Mother Project”line ofEarthboundmerchandise, including items like bags, journals, rulers, calendars, and day planners. However, theMotherwatch is significantly more expensive than those items, going for 23,100 Japanese Yen. That’s just over $200 US, not counting any currency exchange fees. It’s also a limited-run item, so there are only so many watches to go around. Buyers will be chosen through a lottery selection drawn on June 17, 2025.
G-Shock is a line of analog and digital watches manufactured by the Tokyo-based electronics company Casio. The watches are marketed for physical durability and can run anywhere from less than $100 to several thousand depending on the specific model. The limited-edition Mother watch appears based on Casio’s DW family of watches, which retail for anything from $70 to $210 depending on the specific model. Taken in that light, Casio’sEarthbound/Motherwatch is about the same price as similar items from the same manufacturer.
Mother,known internationally asEarthbound Beginnings, was released in Japan in 1989. It bucked the trends of many JRPG’s, taking place in a then-contemporary America and having only minimal science fiction elements.Motherwas one of Japan’s best-selling games that year. However, it didn’t launch worldwide until the Wii U Virtual Console port in 2015.
Nintendo first introduced western audiences to theMotherseries through its sequel, known asEarthbound,which debuted in the US in 1995. The second game received critical acclaim but struggled to compete with more mainstream JRPGs likeFinal Fantasy.As a result, it sold poorly in the US, which likely explains why the game didn’t officially arrive in other markets until the 2013 Wii U release.Earthbound’slukewarm reception may also explainwhy Nintendo never releasedMother 3outside Japan.
