The game was originally titled "Thrill Kill", but development was soon cancelled due to EA acquiring Virgin Interactive. EA refused to sell the publishing rights to the game until Activision had green-lit an idea for a fighting game based on the rap group the Wu-Tang Clan, which came to be known as "Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style."

Rza's finishing move shows him kicking his sword into his opponent's head, this is a reference to the 1998 Blade movie, specifically a scene in which Deacon Frost is killed in the same way.