When Bubsy creator Micheal Berlyn pitched the game idea, it was initially denied, with his producer claiming "Go back to writing stories, that's all you know" (refering to Berlyn's history in text adventure games). When Berlyn asked for an option to prove his platforming know-how, they asked for him to write an analysis of Sonic the Hedgehog and why it works as a game. Berlyn would spend 10 hours a day playing Sonic in order to write an essay about the game, and Bubsy got the greenlight, though he did have to find a different producer.