Otosan dev releases 10-second version of the game to beat the 3DS eShop's closure, full game coming via update

You might have heard about Otosan in the past. The Mother-like RPG is in the works for Switch, but the developer behind the game wants to bring it to the 3DS as well. With the 3DS eShop closing in a matter of weeks and Otosan’s development far from over, the dev was left with a conundrum. How could they give the game an official 3DS release with the 3DS eShop closing by the end of March? Turns out they came up with a very unique solution.

You can actually purchase Otosan on the 3DS eShop right now, but there’s a catch. This version of the game isn’t a complete version of Otosan, but instead, a 10-second snippet of the game. Why on earth would you want to grab an incomplete version of the game? Well, by downloading Otosan’s 10-second version now, the developer can release an update later that transforms the tiny snippet into the full game!

While the 3DS eShop is being closed on March 27th, 2023, 3DS fans will not be able to purchase new software. What developers can do is still release updates for their games. This is the loophole Otosan’s developer is using to deliver the full game on 3DS. Once Otosan’s development is complete, the dev can just push and update out to the 3DS eShop and those who own the 10-second version will be upgraded to the full game!

While the developer of Otosan wanted to release the game for free on 3DS, Nintendo doesn’t allow free titles on the platform. Instead, the developer has put the game up for just $1. If you trust that the dev will update this 10-second demo with the full-fledged version of Otosan, you can hit the 3DS eShop anytime between now and March 27th, 2023 to snag the game.