The concept for "Gex" was created by Lyle Hall, who began work on the project shortly after joining the newly-formed Crystal Dynamics in 1993. Hall wanted the game to "take advantage of both the graphics prowess and the CD audio capabilities" of Panasonic's 3DO Interactive Multiplayer console, intending to create a 2D platform game starring "the coolest character I could come up with". It was created with the intention of a new mascot in mind, with Crystal Dynamics pushing for a character who could rival the likes of other gaming icons such as Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. Initially, the development team consisted of four people; Hall, who served as the game's producer, Mira Ross and Susanne Dougherty as artists, and Gregg Travers as the lead programmer (later on, Justin Knorr was hired as the game's lead designer). The game initially centered around a Hollywood film stunt performer named "Gecko X" who needed to help save his contracted film studio from going bankrupt at the volition of the antagonist, Karl Chameleon. Each stage was themed around a film genre (i.e. a level inspired by Western films) and would begin by showing stock footage from a vintage film of that genre. The player would then traverse the level and perform "stunts" along the way, with the player's performance dictating the amount of money the film would earn at the box office and how well the studio would do. The concept was eventually nixed at the suggestion of Travers, who argued that placing the levels in such realistic settings would lead to a lack of sensible design structure, and a new, more fantastical concept was brainstormed, in which a new villain, named Rezull, would capture Gex and bring him into a "TV Land" where he would have to escape by collecting magical TV remotes and fighting Rezull’s armada of "video warriors" made of TV static. Gex's voice was provided by comedian Dana Gould, who wrote all of the character's dialogue.