Three new video games in the Ecco the Dolphin franchise are currently in development, per series creator, Ed Annunziata. The news was revealed in fairly quiet fashion, as an aside in an interview about Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on Xbox Wire.
Tucked away beneath a celebration of games and media developed by the Asian and Pacific Islander community, Annunziata spoke about the impact of the original Ecco the Dolphin games, and their nature as educational titles. As Xbox Wire noted, the franchise frequently touched on essential topics like ocean conversation, the intelligence of the natural world, and how important it is to connect with nature.
“Imagine a culture connected directly to the ocean’s ecosystems over generations,” Annunziata said. “Growing and evolving together, humans contribute to the ecosystem rather than taxing it. Over time, they would learn about all the ocean cycles and how to get into sync with them. Anything that fosters a connection between humans and the ocean should be enthusiastically embraced.”
Annunziata also expressed a belief that gamers were able to receive Ecco the Dolphin‘s message as they “frequently fully engaged and challenged mentally with real-time systems and information technology” as well as having strong social connections. He believes this means games are the perfect conduit to educate people, for these reasons.
In exploring Ecco the Dolphin, players can learn much about the environment and conversation, and the “biological dance” that humans are part of.
Read: New Sega trademarks have fans reminiscing about Ecco the Dolphin
The future of Ecco the Dolphin
Wrapping up this discussion, Xbox Wire asked what the future holds for the franchise. And in a swift aside, Annunziata revealed there are three new Ecco the Dolphin games in the works: a remaster of the original game, a remaster of Tides of Time, and a “new, third game with contemporary play and GPU sensibilities.”
So for all those players who spotted Sega filing new trademarks for Ecco the Dolphin in late 2024 and were inspired to hope, great news! New Ecco the Dolphin games are officially in the works, and we do expect to hear more in the near future. Annunziata didn’t reveal more, but did point fans towards a website to keep an eye on.
Heading into this website, you’ll find a mysterious countdown timer, and plenty of questions. It’s likely we’ll hear much more about what this all means shortly, so stay tuned.
