The game was originally pitched under the name "Crash Jackin'", carrying many features that would appear in the final game, but featuring a different model for Crash and the ability to dodge (which would later appear in Crash: Mind Over Mutant). Baby-T and Pura were also planned to appear in the game as characters who would get kidnapped for undisclosed reasons, but Coco and Aku Aku would take that role in the final game. Coco and Crunch were also originally planned to be playable by Crash jacking them at certain points in the game, with Coco being able to para-glide, while Crunch would use a slingshot move.

In Crash Tag Team Racing, Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind Over Mutant, Crunch Bandicoot's personality is modeled after actor and wrestler Mr. T, frequently giving thinly-veiled advice and mimicking a similar cadence to him. In Tag Team Racing, Crunch even has an alternate costume mimicking Mr. T's appearance named "Mr. Crunch".