According to director Keita Takahashi, the game was first conceived in 2019 while he was living in San Francisco, a city whose political demographics largely consist of Democrats, to counteract the "downer mood/vibes/atmosphere" felt there during Republican political opponent Donald Trump's first two years as president of the United States. Within a year, the COVID-19 pandemic would begin and amplify this mood. Takahashi stated that these circumstances made him "want to create anything that was [silly,] positive and optimistic", and inspired him to make the game more story-centric rather than focusing on interactive elements. Incidentally, the game wound up releasing in 2025, the first year of Trump's second term as president.