A fan-made native PC port of the original Super Smash Bros is now out, and it is already getting steady improvements.
The project is called BattleShip. Instead of running through standard emulation, it aims to run the game natively on PC. That release is the main story, while newer builds show the project is still actively improving.
The latest public release highlighted by the developer is v0.4-beta (April 29, 2026). The notes include fixes for Linux compatibility, audio behavior, rendering issues, and stability bugs.
The developer says AI tools were heavily used in development. This is a strong example of using AI in a positive way: helping one developer move faster on a technically difficult project.
At the same time, projects like this also rely on years of community reverse-engineering and decomp groundwork. AI helps accelerate the build process, but it builds on that existing foundation.
The project page states users must provide their own ROM and own a legal copy of Super Smash Bros. NTSC-U v1.0 to build and run it.
Anthony Micallef is the creator of Anton Retro, a platform dedicated to retro gaming enthusiasts. With years of experience in Nintendo homebrew and modding, he creates guides to help gamers get the most out of their consoles.
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