Upon release, Sonic Dreams Collection was widely interpreted by critics and some Sonic The Hedgehog fans as a vitriolic critique of the series' fanbase, which had become notorious by the mid-2010s for its abundance of esoteric and "feverish" community content. However, while co-designer Ben Esposito acknowledged the fan response, he denied that it was meant to ridicule them, instead describing the title as "a fan's game. We're not making fun of the fans necessarily, just celebrating the weirdness of it." Esposito also characterized the game as a rebuttal to the franchise's official social media accounts for leaning into jokes about the fanbase's memes and reputation around the same time. He felt this behavior was patronizing and hypocritical, perceiving it as an actual example of mocking the fans and professing his distaste for "any kind of brand that uses anti-corporate language to promote a corporation."