Did Earth Bound NES ever have official cover art made for it?

[Koopa64 40]

Over 20 years ago, a prototype cartridge of Earth Bound (aka EarthBound Zero, aka EarthBound Beginnings) was found and publicly dumped through usenet. Since then, the game has made it onto the Wii U Virtual Console... (see title screen, still just says Earth Bound)

But it seems no cover art for it has ever surfaced. Everyone just uses the red Mother cover art or pulls a still from a Japanese TV ad featuring live actors playing the characters from the game. (see video here)

We also have this old interview with the English Script Writer for Earth Bound, Phil Sandhop. He shares details on what the game's packaging would have been like, but I don't think there's any mention in there about just the cover art. http://www.lostlevels.org/200407/200407-earthbound.shtml

 

So, I ask former NintendoAge experts, did Nintendo of America ever finish a cover art for the unreleased Earth Bound? Has it ever surfaced? Or was it not completed before the game was canceled?

Edited August 16, 2020 by Koopa64

[DoctorEncore 3,605]

Great question. Paging @Bronty, @Archon 1981, @Jeremyamoto, @Mydogsrule...

Edited August 16, 2020 by DoctorEncore

[Bearcat-Doug 4,469]

This isn't official, but it's the best one I've seen.

[Bearcat-Doug 4,469]

1 minute ago, ChickenTendas said:

@Bearcat-Doug He's talking about the previously unreleased Mother game, commonly referred to as Earthbound Zero or Earthbound Beginnings. That is some pretty neat box art tho, where did you find it? :D

I'm not sure what the website was. I found it when I did a Google search for Earthbound NES box art.

[Koopa64 40]

@Bearcat-Doug

It's a nice cover to be sure, sadly it doesn't feature a single character or enemy from the actual Earth Bound game on NES (aka Earthbound Beginnings aka Mother). Even the screenshots are from the wrong game.

It is however a great EarthBound SNES cover.

[Bronty 187]

On 8/17/2020 at 6:35 AM, Bearcat-Doug said:

This isn't official, but it's the best one I've seen.

 

it would have never looked like that in the day though.    That's a 2010 look on what would have been early 90s product

[TDIRunner 2,372]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but these were made by Shenske from The Cover Project.

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by TDIRunner

[Code Monkey 1,755]

If it does, the guys in the Facebook artwork group would know.

[Ferris Bueller 435]

We did a mockup for the documentary based on Phil's description.

To be clear, I mean his description in our interview for the film. It's all in the documentary, where the name comes from, what the art was supposed to look like, the manual, the posters, name for the sequel, all of it. 

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by Ferris Bueller

[Tanooki 4,708]

Wasn't there some kind of vidpro card for the game ever made?  That typically if it wasn't place holder ahead of release usually was the box art.