Nintendo wanted the Wii to reach people who had never played video games, so it needed a simple game that anyone could pick up. The designers chose sports because almost everyone knows them, and they avoided realistic graphics and pro athletes. Motion controls use the Wii Remote's accelerometer to read swings and pitches, so the actions match the movements. Mario characters were tried early on but removed after players preferred their own Mii avatars. Nintendo included the game with the console in most regions, betting that people who tried it would keep playing.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.