Collection: Shantae

In a 2020 interview with SiliconEra, series co-creator Matt Bozon described the development and distribution of each entry in the series as reflective of various changes in the video game industry and its treatment of smaller developers.

The eponymous first title was pitched for multiple platforms, including the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, PlayStation, and PC before eventually landing on the Game Boy Color due to the industry relying on deals with big-name distributors; Bozon stated that "If retail and distribution deals had come together more quickly for SNES, PSX, or PC, Shantae would have launched there."

Nintendo's establishment of WiiWare and DSiWare allowed WayForward to more readily develop a follow-up in the form of Shantae: Risky’s Revenge thanks to the digital distribution model making it less expensive to develop and release a smaller-scale title for systems that were otherwise demanding increasingly complex games. Later, The Nintendo 3DS' "split delivery system" that allowed digital-only games to be released at retail prices was a boon to the making of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero and Shantae and the Seven Sirens meanwhile benefitted from the greater prioritization of digitally distributed games on home consoles by the start of the 2020s, with the rise of premium physical media imprints such as Limited Run Games further helping offset costs.

In a 2013 interview with GirlGamer.com, series co-creator Matt Bozon stated that the concept behind the title character came from his wife, Erin, who named her after a kid at a summer camp that she worked at. Matt and Erin then started bouncing ideas off of one another to develop the series' setting, lore, and other characters, with Erin particularly coming up with Shantae's signature transformation ability.

In the same interview, Bozon claimed that Shantae's hair-whip attack was his idea, and that he was inspired by Erin's own long hair, which he claimed would frequently swipe his face whenever she turned around. However, in another interview with The Mary Sue two years later, he stated that Erin came up with the concept, detailing it in her first sketches of the character.

On April 16, 2015, WayForward's official Twitter account claimed that the title character of the series is approximately 16 years old in response to a fan's inquiry on the topic. This generated controversy from audiences due to the series' heavy emphasis on fanservice, including provocative depictions of Shantae herself, drawing concerns that the series was sexualizing a minor.

Following the 2015 tweet, a user on the Shantae subreddit claimed that they contacted WayForward staffer James Montagna about the controversy. According to the user, Montagna stated that the tweet on the official account was made by an intern without the approval of higher-ups, that the staff at WayForward did not work on the series under the pretense of Shantae being a 16-year-old, and that they seek to avoid doing anything with her that would make people feel uncomfortable. The Reddit post included a link to a screencap of the conversation with Montagna; both the post and image have since been deleted. Commenters on the post additionally speculated that the tweet was referring to the age of the series rather than the age of the character. Corroborating these claims, series creator Matt Bozon stated in a June 2015 tweet that although "I write her as a 16 year old," Shantae doesn't have an official age.

The controversy over Shantae's age would finally be settled in a 2020 AMA on Limited Run Games' Discord server. In response to another question about Shantae's age, Bozon clarified his remarks from five years prior, stating that he and the other developers consider Shantae an adult of ambiguous age throughout the series.

Shantae director Matt Bozon has revealed that there were plenty of prototypes of games for Shantae that never made it off of the drawing board. These include things such as a spline-scroller (like Namco's Klonoa), a open-world 3D game (similar to Super Mario 64), and a 3D platformer. He even hinted that they were going to be released for the PS2, PC, and Nintendo Gamecube. Matt Bozon states:

"We had a polygonal Shantae that could be run around in three distinct gameplay 'gyms'. One was a spline-scroller (like Namco's Klonoa), one was a free-range 3D like Mario 64, and the last was an isometric 3D platformer. We've done a lot of exploration in this area" Shantae was a sprite/3D hybrid for PlayStation and PC, and was free-roaming on the PlayStation 2. She even rode a river raft on the GameCube. It's possible that we'll see a polygonal Shantae down the line, but only if it serves the style of gameplay we want to create at the time."

The first Shantae game was initially designed for the PC or consoles comparable to the PC, such as the Sony Playstation. It differed significantly from the later Game Boy Color release in 2002, as the first design had plans for using 3D gameplay/environments with characters being sprites, as well as a number of features like being able to buy new hairstyles which would each give different attacks aside from the standard hair whip, various outfits that could be bought giving different effects, and summoning (as opposed to transforming into) animals such as a Monkey, Tiger, Elephant and even a Spider to help solve puzzles. Shantae herself also looked different, most notably her hair being black, as opposed to purple.