Ecco the Dolphin creator Ed Annunziata has revealed that remasters of the first two games in the series are on the way, and that a brand new entry in the franchise is also in the works.
In an interview as part of Xbox's Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Annunziata says that remasters of Ecco the Dolphin and its 1994 followup Ecco the Dolphin: The Tides of Time are on the cards, although it's not clear whether work on said remasters has begun yet.
He then says a "new, third game" that features "contemporary play and GPU sensibilities" will be made, although it's not clear whether he means a third modern project or a third Ecco game overall.
If it's the latter, then Annunziata is perhaps unfairly skipping over 1995's Ecco Jr., its rather odd Sega Pico-only sequel, and 2000's Dreamcast game Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, which was due to get its own sequel before the Dreamcast's demise.
Either way, Annunziata says interested fans should keep an eye on the official Ecco the Dolphin website. At time of writing, said website shows only a counter that seems to promise some kind of announcement or reveal at the end of April next year, counting down around 8,500 hours to do so.
In the interview, Annunziata says he believes that "gamers possess a higher than average IQ" when compared to "the average human". This he puts down to gamers' "socially connected" nature, as well as the fact (as he says) that they're "frequently fully engaged and challenged mentally with real-time systems and information technology".
The Ecco the Dolphin revival will surely bring at least a modicum of joy to those who were hoping that Dolphin Quest, the spiritual successor originally touted for the ill-fated Intellivision Amico, would come to fruition. There's a much better chance of Ecco happening than Dolphin Quest, that's for sure.
Ecco the Dolphin is just one of the many classic IPs Sega is currently in the process of reviving. Others include the likes of Virtua Fighter, ninja platformer series Shinobi, and wacky arcade racer Crazy Taxi.
It's likely we'll get to hear more about the Ecco the Dolphin revival in the coming months, although it's not clear whether the above timer is counting down to a release or just a reveal. Stay tuned for more.
