Development
Sonic and the Secret Rings was developed by Sonic Team (led by Yuji Naka) and published by Sega. Sega originally planned to release a port of the 2006 Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game Sonic the Hedgehog as the first Sonic game for the Wii. Citing lengthy development times for a port, Sega switched plans and conceived of a Sonic game that would use the capabilities of the Wii Remote. Producer Yojiro Ogawa, who had previously worked on Sonic Adventure, "already had this basic idea (of Sonic constantly moving forward) in mind", and immediately imagined its compatibility with the Wii.
| “ | When we first started thinking about it, the system was still called the Revolution. So we thought we should revolutionize Sonic. I wanted to do something that people haven't seen in previous Sonic titles. | ” |
He later decided that this could be done by using the Arabian Nights—a compilation of Middle-Eastern fables—as the game's setting. This inspired the use of Sonic characters as figures from Arabian Nights. Sega removed "some of the extraneous elements" of recent Sonic games to "get ... back to basics". Storyboard director Zachary G. Brown stated that, "This game could put Sonic the Hedgehog in a whole new light. He could reach the top of the charts once more." The game's art and setting were heavily influenced by the games Shadow of the Colossus, Prince of Persia, and God of War. Its cutscenes consistently feature hand-painted, static imagery resembling classic art through paint on parchment. On a technical level, Secret Rings uses the PhysX engine. Sega improved the game's camera system to address criticisms of prior Sonic games.
On January 19, 2006, IGN staff writer Matt Casamassina revealed that "sources close to Sega" had informed IGN of an upcoming Revolution-exclusive Sonic game, which was two months in development. Sega officially announced Sonic Wild Fire at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006, then as Hyper Sonic at a Nintendo press conference and again as Sonic Wild Fire in its trailers. Sega changed the title to Sonic and the Secret of the Rings, then slightly modified it to Sonic and the Secret Rings in August 2006. Sega preferred Wild Fire over Secret Rings, but the latter better fit the game's story and Arabian Nights. The game received a rating of E from the ESRB, 7+ from PEGI, and A from CERO.
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