The game was produced in commemoration of the "Sonic" series' 15th anniversary and was the first "Sonic" racing game since the 1997 Traveller's Tales game "Sonic R". Sonic Team wanted to make their own game that was superior to any previous "Sonic" racing game. It was designed to appeal to fans of "Sonic" and extreme sports video games; the development team did not take inspiration from any prior games. "Sonic Riders" was also the last "Sonic" title produced with the involvement of Yuji Naka, who left Sega shortly after its release.