In the January 1993 interview with the game's programmer Yuji Naka published in the Beep! magazine, he was asked when development began. He responded:

In the January 1993 interview with the game's programmer Yuji Naka published in the Beep! magazine, he commented on the game's 3D-stylised special stage, stating that it was conceived at the start of the game's development and was eventually implemented despite Naka being forced to work with rougher image quality. He also stated that the camera-view behind Sonic's spiny back running towards the Chaos Emerald in the final game was something that he was hoping to add. Him and the team also thought of having more "cliffs and valleys" in the special stage, but this idea was scrapped.

The title screens of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with Sonic (a character known for his super speed) posing and waving his gloved hand inside of a ring lined with stars and a ribbon banner at the bottom, could possibly be taken from the logo of the 1981 anime adaptation of the Akira Toriyama manga "Dr. Slump" and its speedy protagonist Arale. It should also be noted that the ring surrounding Sonic has giant wings protruding from its sides, which appear to reference the angel wings on Arale's cap that also feature in the intros to the anime and some of the Dr. Slump films.

While it's not known if any Sega employees have commented on this connection, it was acknowledged in the form of a small cameo appearance where Sonic gets outrun by Arale in the 1993 sequel manga "The Brief Return of Dr. Slump".