Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis already a celebration of all things Nintendo, featuring over 80 playable characters and hundreds of Assist Trophies, Items, and Spirits from throughout the company’s history. Now, an upcoming in-game event will allowSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateplayers to earn special bonuses and celebrate favorite titles released for the GameCube, one of Nintendo’s most influential consoles.
Released in Japan and North America in 2001 and the rest of the world in 2002, the GameCube is one of Nintendo’s most easily recognizable home consoles thanks to its distinctive shape and color. It was considered the successor to the Nintendo 64 system, and served as Nintendo’s primary home gaming console for six years until ultimately being succeeded by the first iteration of the Nintendo Wii in 2006. A number of enduring,popular Nintendo titleswere initially released for the GameCube, includingThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, severalMario Partygames, andSuper Smash Bros. Melee.
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Beginning on Friday, September 9th and running through midnight on Sunday, September 12th, this 20th anniversary events will see Spirits from games originally released for the GameCube appearing more frequently onUltimate’sSpirit Board. Spirits with an increased appearance rate include the titular creatures fromPikmin, Tetra and Medli fromThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Shine Sprites fromSuper Mario Sunshine, and Krystal fromStar Fox Adventures. Players who battle these Spirits during the event will also have a higher chance of successfully capturing the Spirit after the battle has been won. This is the first major Spirit-related event sincespirits fromMonster Hunter: Risewere added in April 2021.
Nintendo has confirmed that none of the Spirits featured in this weekend’s GameCube anniversary event will be exclusive. Once the event concludes, players will still be able to obtain all featured Spirits normally via rotating offerings on the Spirit Board.
Despite the GameCube being fondly remembered today as one of Nintendo’s most popular consoles, its legacy is a mixed one. At launch, the console received mixed reviews, with most fans enjoying the extensive library of games but some disliking the console’s lack of bonus features. Ultimately, the GameCube sold less than 22 million units worldwide, far less than Nintendo had expected. Production was discontinued in 2007 when Nintendo chose to shift its focus to the Wii console. However, the GameCube’s controller design remained popular, with many gamers continuing to cite it as their favorite handheld game controller. In response, Nintendo has released severallimited edition GameCube controllersin recent years, including designs based on theMario,Legend of Zelda, andPokemonfranchises.
The official 20th anniversary of the GameCube’s launch will take place on July 24, 2025. It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will announce any other events or news to celebrate the landmark anniversary, althoughrecent leaks indicate that a Nintendo Direct may be upcomingin the near future, which may include GameCube-related announcements.
