"Ecco the Dolphin doesn't have nearly as strong a legacy as many of its '90s action game brethren, but just mention its name to anyone who was a slightly weird kid with a Sega Genesis at the time, and you'll probably get a very different impression. With its eco-warrior sensibilities, completely unique gameplay, and baffling dolphin-versus-aliens premise, Ecco the Dolphin is a gloriously bizarre relic of the Genesis, but after decades of silence from the series, it's finally poised to return soon."
"Talk of the series' return began in May 2025, when creator Ed Annunziata mentioned plans to not only remaster the first two games, but also release a brand-new one, in an unrelated interview. While there's not much new information, those plans have now been made official, with developer A&R Atelier announcing that development has started on both remasters and the new entry."
"As exciting as the announcement may be for a very specific subset of people, the lack of actual details leaves lots of room for some healthy skepticism. Ecco the Dolphin has already gotten a years-late sequel once, in Dreamcast's Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, which brought the series into 3D. While it was well received, it failed to attain quite the same cult status as the originals and the series ended there."
Ecco the Dolphin is poised for a revival with official development begun on remasters of the first two Genesis games and a brand-new entry. Creator Ed Annunziata first mentioned remasters and a new game in May 2025. Developer A&R Atelier confirmed that development has started and launched a series website featuring a small countdown of about 2,330 hours set to expire in April. The Dreamcast sequel Defender of the Future moved the series into 3D but did not match the originals' cult status. Some skepticism exists due to sparse details and concerns about Annunziata's support for NFTs and generative AI.
Read at Inverse
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