As the Super Smash Bros. 4 release date nears, Nintendo is drumming up interest in the game as well as the company itself with press releases followed by several surprises. The latest news is the availability of the Super Smash Bros. demo to platinum members ahead of its release. During Nintendo's Treehouse Livestream, the company announced that some platinum members of Club Nintendo would receive codes to get the 3DS demo of the new Super Smash Bros. game.

According to IGN, those lucky members selected to receive the code will be sent emails and the codes can be redeemed on Sept. 19. Each email will contain four codes and the demo will allow them to access five playable characters -- Mega Man, Villager, Link, Mario and Pikachu -- along with the Battlefield stage. Nintendo also said that selected members could share their extra codes with friends and that they will have the option to compete in local multiplayer matches. The game can be downloaded from the eShop.

However, there's a catch: only the members that upgraded to platinum between July 2013 and June 2014, opted in for emails and registered their 3DS handheld device will be selected. The rest will have to wait until Sept. 19 when a public demo of the game will be available to all owners of the 3DS.

The Super Smash Bros. game will be released in Japan on Sept. 13 and in North America on Oct. 3. The Wii U version will be released later.

A few gamers got a look at the final game and have been streaming it via Twitch. Those who have seen it have been able to see other unannounced characters as they begin to unlock the game. The stream has revealed some other playable characters such as the dog from Duck Hunt, Mr. Game & Watch, Ness, Falco, Dark Pit, Dr. Mario, Ganondorf and Wario. Players are still unlocking new characters, indicating that the full roster is quite extensive.

It has just been announced by Nintendo Europe that members of the European Club Nintendo who meet the requirements will also be sent demo codes.