Ecco the Dolphin Revival: Remakes and New Chapter Announced

The creator of Ecco the Dolphin has confirmed that remakes of the classic games are in progress, alongside a brand-new third installment in development.

In a recent Xbox Wire post, Ed Annunziata, the visionary behind the challenging action-adventure series, discussed ocean conservation, his career, and shared a surprising update:

"My original team and I are remastering Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time. We’re also crafting a new third game with modern gameplay and visuals. More to come."

A third game already exists—Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, launched in 2000 on Dreamcast, though Annunziata wasn’t involved. A planned sequel, Ecco 2: Sentinels of the Universe, was scrapped.

"I still have my secret password from Tides of Time, jotted in the game manual’s code section," wrote one fan. Another noted: "The plots of these games are absolutely wild."

10 (Unintentionally) Terrifying Games

Annunziata offered no further details on when fans will reunite with Ecco, but a countdown on the official Ecco the Dolphin website points to a reveal roughly a year away, in about 8,508 hours.

Debuting in 1992 on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Ecco the Dolphin was followed by Ecco: The Tides of Time in 1994. Ecco Jr. and Ecco Jr. and the Great Ocean Treasure Hunt, released in 1995, were educational titles focused on learning.

In Ecco the Dolphin, you guide the titular dolphin through a ravaged underwater world, navigating perilous tropical reefs and icy polar waters to reunite with his pod. Our take on the 2000 remake: "Ecco the Dolphin is a Sega classic, but some classics are best left in the past."

"For those familiar with Ecco, there’s little reason to revisit," we noted in IGN's Ecco the Dolphin review of the 2007 remake. "No extras, weak Achievements. If you’ve never played, it’s innovative for its era, but its gameplay hasn’t aged well, unlike Sonic’s."

The final Ecco title, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, scored a 7.6 in IGN’s review: "Flipper’s got nothing on Ecco’s charm. Stunning visuals, gripping story—defend your ocean home."