Move over, Gears of War — Ecco the Dolphin is finally getting a remaster. And not only the first game, but the sequel, Tides of Time, is also getting the remaster treatment.
Oh, and to top things off, a “new, third game” is also in the works, series creator Ed Annunziata has revealed. And where was this all announced? At the bottom of an Xbox Wire blog celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
In an interview with Xbox Wire, Annunziata says “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.” He concludes, linking to a brand new website with a countdown which is scheduled to end on 25th April 2026. Yep, that really is a countdown for over 3500 hours (at the time of writing).
We know literally nothing else about the new game or the remasters, not even what platforms they’re coming to, but Annunziata did tell us that “eventually, there will be a new Ecco” way back in 2019. So Switch 2 is probably in consideration.
The original Ecco the Dolphin launched in 1992 on the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis and is one of the most unique games on the system. Playing as the titular dolphin, you have to explore the oceans throughout time to protect your home, and Earth, from aliens. You can already play this one on Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, if you’re subscribed.
A sequel, Tides of Time followed in 1994 and allowed Ecco to transform into different animals and also attack using a multi-directional sonar. The series did continue with two edutainment games and a Dreamcast reboot called Defender of the Future, but the series ended in 2001 after the cancellation of a sequel.
Annunziata did launch a Kickstarter for a spiritual successor in 2013 that sadly failed to get off the ground, but some new hope was sparked back in January 2025 when Sega reportedly filed trademarks for Ecco (as reported by our sister site Time Extension).
We’ll keep swimming around for more info, but for now, let us know what you think of the return of Ecco the Dolphin in the comments.