"Sonic Riders" was developed by Sonic Team and Now Production for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, and Xbox in commemoration of the "Sonic" series' 15th anniversary. The game was directed by Kenjiro Morimoto and produced by Takashi Yuda. Series co-creator Yuji Naka served as executive producer. "Sonic Riders" was the last "Sonic" game that Naka was involved with; he resigned to form his own company, Prope, shortly after its release to focus on original games. Yuda said Naka provided input at the beginning of development and additional advice as the game progressed. The game runs at 60 frames per second, and features a 2D animated opening cutscene produced by Production I.G and directed by Kazuto Nakazawa, as well as CG-animated cutscenes by Blur Studio.