Esports players and followings are growing each day, with innovations such as Twitch where anyone, anywhere can tune in to watch the biggest names in gaming play for hours on end. But where did it all start? Let’s look at the history of one of the most popular fight games in the American competitive Esports scene.

The original Super Smash Bros debuted in 1999 for the Nintendo 64 game console and featured 12 characters and nine stages. The game was an immediate hit, as it took some of Nintendo’s biggest names like Mario, Donkey Kong, Pikachu and Fox McCloud, and brought them together in a multiplayer fighting game. Super Smash Bros: Melee was released in 2001 and added 14 new characters and expanded to 29 total stages. These additions along with the gameplay fans grew to love propelled the game to the best-selling title on the newly released GameCube. Super Smash Bros: Melee was so popular that it continues to be played to this day, over two decades later.

Super Smash Bros: Ultimate is the latest installment and was released in 2018. Super Smash Bros: Ultimate made a name for itself in the Esports scene as one of the most popular Nintendo games. As of 2022, over 29 million copies of Super Smash Bros: Ultimate have been sold and the game’s popularity doesn’t stop at LBSU. ASI along with the CSULB Esports Association hosts popular tournaments for the game every semester and saw the biggest turnout last semester with over 80 students who dropped by the USU Sticks Lounge to participate. With last semester’s success, ASI and the CSULB Esports Association are excited to host this Spring 2023 tournament on Feb. 24. So, if you are looking to test your Super Smash Bros skills, be sure to sign up! Our Esports tournament sign-ups are free and feature exciting prizes for our tournament winners. For more information be sure to visit https://asirecreation.org/intramurals/tournament.