An unofficial native PC port of the original Nintendo 64 Super Smash Bros has become the latest flashpoint in gaming's AI argument, not simply because the port exists, but because its creator says the modern code layered on top of existing tools was written entirely with AI agents.
The project is called BattleShip. Its GitHub README describes it as a PC port of Super Smash Bros. for macOS, Linux and Windows, built on top of the VetriTheRetri ssb-decomp-re decompilation with libultraship handling native rendering, audio and input. The repository says it includes no Nintendo-owned assets and instead extracts game data from a user-supplied NTSC-U v1.0 ROM at build time.
What has made BattleShip more contentious than a normal fan port is the author's own explanation of how it was made. JRickey writes that it is a "100% AI-generated modern port," meaning the code added on top of the decompilation, libultraship and Torch modules was created by agents using Opus 4.6, Opus 4.7 and GPT 5.5 over a little more than 25 days.
JRickey frames the release as both a learning project and a proof of concept, while also stressing that it rests on years of prior work from decompilation, engine and asset extraction projects. "That is not to say that I gave AI an N64 cartridge and got a PC port out of it," the README says.
The backlash is about craft as much as AI
The reaction from parts of the retro development community has been sharp. Indie developer Mors, who worked on a modern PC port of Moon Child, criticized the project in unusually direct terms.
"You cheated not only the game, but yourself. You didn't grow. You didn't improve. You took a shortcut and gained nothing. You experienced a hollow victory. Nothing was risked and nothing was gained. It's sad that you don't know the difference."
Preservationist RohanKarMooN also objected to AI-driven decomp work, saying they would rather stick with emulation than accept that kind of shortcut in PC porting projects.
The technical criticism is just as important as the philosophical one. Developer UnderCoverToni argued that the port is "not even a good port," pointing to bugs, missing features and inaccurate engine behavior. BattleShip's own v0.4-beta release notes back up the idea that the project is still rough, with fixes covering Linux launch problems, missing audio reverb, aspect ratio behavior, crashes and several graphics or UI issues.
A bigger test case for AI-assisted preservation
BattleShip lands in a scene where native PC ports of older console games have become a major interest for retro players. Projects built around decompilation can offer cleaner PC-native features than emulation, but they also rely on careful reverse engineering, long-term maintenance and respect for the work already done by previous contributors.
That is why this particular release has split opinion. Supporters see AI as a way to bring more old software to modern hardware, especially when the original publisher is unlikely to release an official PC version. Critics see a project that leans heavily on community labor, produces questionable results and risks normalizing lower-skill shortcuts in a preservation space where accuracy matters.
BattleShip is available now as a beta, and its README makes clear that users need their own legal Super Smash Bros. ROM to build or run it. The larger fight around it is likely to last longer than the current build, because it asks a question retro communities are only starting to answer: if AI can help port old games faster, how much trust should players put in the result?