The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Rare co-founder Tim Stamper.

Microsoft wanted the game to become a key franchise for the platform, and developed a tie-in television show to accompany the series.

The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised the graphics, color palette, soundtrack, replay value, numerous types of piñatas, and strategic gameplay.

Since its initial release, Viva Piñata has been regarded as an underrated title by numerous critics,[1] with many noting it for aging well compared to modern video games,[2] and is often remarked as a cult classic.

If the player successfully completes a maze minigame, the romance results in a baby piñata egg, which is delivered by a stork.

[19] A three-person[20] team began work on a simple prototype while the company was still affiliated with Nintendo, prior to its Microsoft acquisition.

4Kids Entertainment had agreed to make a Viva Piñata cartoon before the game was released, having selected the series out of several Microsoft properties offered.

[5] Erik Brudvig of IGN found that the game's graphical slowdown during its frequent autosaving to be startling, although he praised the presentation overall.

[37] Will Tuttle of Team Xbox similarly stated the colors were "vividly vibrant" and the design aesthetics "remarkably appealing", although he also found the autosaving slowdown frustrating.

[15] Gerald Villoria of GameSpy stated the graphics were "breathtaking", and noted the color palettes of the piñatas themselves gave the appearance that they were "stripped directly from an animated show".

Calvert enjoyed the wide customization options and large number of piñata variations, stating that the gameplay itself was "silky smooth".

[5] Brudvig noted that there was a "ton to do"; he praised the encouragement of discovery and stated that it was "constantly filled with moments where you find something new to do".

[8] Tuttle commended the large number of piñatas, stating that finding managing all of the resources is "a lot of work".

[46][47] The original game and Trouble in Paradise were later re-released as part of the 2015 Xbox One compilation Rare Replay,[48] but the server that handled their piñata sharing features had been shut down by that time.

[50] Rare made a Nintendo DS version of the game,[51] titled Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise, released in September 2008.

Key changes include a control scheme which makes use of the stylus, as well as the presence of additional context-sensitive information on the second screen.

[53] Developed by Krome Studios, the game features the TV show piñata characters competing in races and various party mini-games.