Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was built by a team split between Japan and California, and the two sides struggled to work together. Mark Cerny pitched it in 1991 as the next holiday release, but Sega of America doubted a sequel could work, and the project was later pushed onto a nine-month schedule for the 1992 season. Japanese developers faced visa problems, so development began with only American staff. The sequel also added the spin dash, lifted the speed cap that had limited the first game, and introduced Tails, whose name came from a marketing compromise.

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.