The game's development began in 2009 and lasted two and a half years. It was first announced at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo as an entry in the "We Ski" series; the game was released later that year for the Wii. The game was ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2018 and included new features such as the ability to take photographs. Surveys were held in America, Europe, and Japan to determine which sports and activities should be included in the minigames. Although the resorts were not directly based on real-life locations, producer Kobayashi said Hawaii was a possible influence for the Marine Resort.