Je pense bien que c'était ça l'histoire. Le jeu a été traduit entièrement puis il est passé à la trappe.
http://earthbound.wikia.com/wiki/EarthBound_Beginnings

In 1990, EarthBound Beginnings was fully translated by Nintendo of America and slated for a 1991 release outside of Japan as "EARTH BOUND".
[...]The localization was completed in 1990, but marketing pushed the release into fall of 1991, and it was eventually cancelled.