The project that would become Mr. Driller was originally intended to be a third game in the Dig Dug series, under the working title of Dig Dug 3. Hexagonal blocks were briefly considered, but this idea was abandoned when chain construction proved to be too complicated. Dig Dug 3 was initially developed unofficially by a few Namco staff; however, work on the game was suspended while R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 was being completed. However, Namco executives were impressed with the game and decided to support it as an official project.