Super Smash Bros. Melee[a] is a crossover fighting video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It was first released in Japan on November 21, 2001, in North America on December 3, 2001, in Europe on May 24, 2002, and in Australia on May 31, 2002. The second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, it features characters from Nintendo video game franchises