Development began after the release of "Nights into Dreams" in July 1996. "Sonic Jam" was announced at the 1997 Tokyo Game Show as part of a project to increase market awareness of Sega and the "Sonic" brand. It received mostly positive reviews, and was praised for its value for money, though some criticized the exclusion of "Sonic CD" and "Sonic Spinball". "Sonic World" was praised for its range of content, though its graphics gathered mixed responses. A cut-down port for the handheld Game.com console was released in 1998.