In August 2013, The Force Awakens Cinematographer Daniel Mindel and Episode VIII Director Rian Johnson each stated that The Force Awakens Director J. J. Abrams would use little computer-generated imagery (CGI) and more practical, traditional special effects in order to recreate the visual realism and authenticity of the original Star Wars film. To that end, the droid BB-8 was a physical prop developed by Disney Research, created by special effects Artist Neal Scanlan and operated live on set with the actors. Seven BB-8 puppets were constructed for filming. The most prominent was a rod puppet, controlled by puppeteers Dave Chapman and Brian Herring. In addition, there were several radio controlled units and some static prop versions. A fully functioning, self-contained robotic unit was not practical for shooting, so most of the "walking" scenes were achieved by the puppet, with rods removed in post production. Later a self standing remote controlled unit was constructed and used at promotional events.

BB-8 was first seen in the 88-second The Force Awakens teaser trailer released by Lucasfilm on November 28, 2014. Its name was revealed by Entertainment Weekly in a Lucasfilm-designed Topps-style trading card mockup in December 2014.

BB-8 appeared with several other Force Awakens characters on the December 2015 cover of Rolling Stone, and alone on the cover of the December 18, 2015 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. The droid was also featured alone on one of two alternate covers of the December 14, 2015 issue of Time (the other cover featuring R2-D2). This was the first time the magazine has offered two covers for editions worldwide. The Time cover Photographer, Marco Grob, said, "The moment you meet BB-8, you almost build some form of weird human connection. It has this really cute way of looking at you."

Other BB-8 merchandising includes household items, luggage and bags, a life-size plush, a Lego Star Wars playset called Poe's X-wing Fighter, Hasbro's Star Wars: The Force Awakens Takodana Encounter set, and other action figures and other toys. The Lego versions of Poe and BB-8 have also appeared in the 2016 short form animated series Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises, and the short Poe Dameron vs the First Order Snowspeeder.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that "no one can steal a scene from BB-8". The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy explained that the droid "serves as a welcome robot reboot from the sidelined (but hardly vanquished) R2-D2", and Emily Asher-Perrin of Tor.com described BB-8 as "the perfect Hybrid of R2-D2 and WALL-E". Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty called BB-8 "that rolling gyroscopic weeble that, if possible, may out-cute R2-D2". Ann Hornaday wrote in The Washington Post that "BB-8, a roly-poly little Wall-E of a creature, rolls, beeps and blinks with such puppy-ish charisma that R2-D2 and C-3PO might want to call their agents to make sure they’re in the next installment. Stephanie Zacharek of Time also praised BB-8: