The original Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64 was released in 1999. It launched first in Japan on January 21, followed by North America on April 26 and Europe on November 19 of the same year.
The game began as a smaller experimental fighting-game project at HAL Laboratory. Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata helped develop the concept, which used familiar Nintendo characters instead of creating a traditional roster of original fighters. That crossover idea became one of the Nintendo 64’s defining multiplayer experiences.
A common mix-up is confusing the original game with Super Smash Bros. Melee, its Nintendo GameCube sequel, which arrived in 2001. Another is using a regional release year: unlike some games with staggered launches across different calendar years, every major release region for the first Smash Bros. received the game in 1999. The Nintendo 64 version is also commonly nicknamed “Smash 64.”