Ecco the Dolphin Trademarked, Reignition Rumors Emerge

Sega's recent trademark filings for the Ecco the Dolphin IP have ignited speculation about a potential franchise revival. Let's delve into the details!

The Return of Ecco?

Gematsu reported that Sega filed trademarks for "Ecco" and "Ecco the Dolphin" in late December 2024, sparking excitement after a 24-year hiatus. The filings, made on December 27th, 2024, were only recently made public.

Originally released in 1992 by Sega and developed by Appaloosa Interactive (formerly Novotrade International), the Ecco the Dolphin series features the eponymous bottlenose dolphin battling extraterrestrial threats. Four installments were released before 2000. While a fifth game, Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe, was planned as a sequel to Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, it was ultimately cancelled following the decline of the Sega Dreamcast.

Appaloosa Interactive is now defunct, but many of its staff, including Ecco the Dolphin's creator Ed Annunziata, remain active in the gaming industry. Annunziata, who released Space War Arena in 2019, expressed his continued hope for an Ecco sequel in a 2019 interview with NintendoLife, stating, "One thing I can say is in the future, people are playing this game. I never give up!"

Currently, no concrete details regarding the future of Ecco the Dolphin have been revealed. However, the trademark filings suggest it could join Sega's growing roster of revived and new IPs. In the last two years, Sega has announced numerous projects, including revivals of classic franchises like Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, Shinobi, and Virtua Fighter, alongside new IPs such as Project Century and a new "RPG-like" Virtua Fighter title. Stay tuned for further announcements.