Iconic Sega Mega Drive star Ecco The Dolphin is being revived after more than 25 years

A new Ecco The Dolphin game is in the works and the two classics are set to be remastered.

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The original Ecco The Dolphin was released in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive and followed a bottlenose dolphin as it tried to find its missing pod while defending the Earth from  extraterrestrial threats. A sequel, Tides Of Time, followed in 1994 while a more kid-friendly version of the game Ecco Jr. came in 1995.

A rebooted version of Ecco The Dolphin was released for the Dreamcast in 2000 but a planned sequel was scrapped. But now original creator Ed Annunziata has revealed he’s planning on reviving the iconic dolphin.

In an exclusive interview with Xbox about the franchise, he said: “Me and the entire original team are going to remaster the original Ecco The Dolphin and Tides Of Time games. Then we will make a new, third game with contemporary play and GPU sensibilities.” No release date for the remastered classics or the third title has been revealed but Annunziata has pointed fans to the Ecco website, which has a countdown of 8500 hours. It should reach zero towards the end of April 2026.

Childhood memory unlocked I forgot all about this game https://t.co/HscXHlsVLW

— ♛ K-Mac ♕ (@Kam1en) May 5, 2025

The Ecco The Dolphin games have been praised for their attitude towards sea life conservation. Speaking about the role gamers can play in raising awareness around sustainability, Annunziata explained: “I feel gamers possess a higher than average IQ than the average human. Not only because they are frequently fully engaged and challenged mentally with real-time systems and information technology, but they are highly socially connected as well.

“There is something else gamers possess that can make the difference, and that is love,” he continued. “A universal love of games and gaming gives us all something we all share, when games like Ecco reach the hearts of gaming communities, that love can really make things happen in the real world.”

Holy shit the original devs are remastering Ecco the Dolphin & Tides of Time? And they're going to make a new one as well? pic.twitter.com/RgwZS0MN3l

— Phnod (@PhnodNet) May 5, 2025

Earlier this year, it was reported Sega had re-filed the trademark for Ecco The Dolphin, with fans hoping a revival was in the works. Responding to the news Ecco was actually making a comeback, one fan wrote: “I still won’t get past the first level”.

“Definitely the most ‘I played it for like 5 minutes’ game ever for many kids. And it was still memorable and cool for some reason,” added another. “Kids think From Software games are hard? They’re about to learn what hard really is with Ecco the Dolphin,” wrote a third.

In other news, the second season of HBO’s adaptation of The Last Of Us is well underway but some viewers are fed up with gamers “ruining” the show with their negativity.

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