Classic Sega Game Ecco the Dolphin and its sequel The Tides of Time are getting brand new remasters according to Ecco's creator Ed Annunziata. Speaking with Xbox Wire about ocean preservation during an interview celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Ed spoke about how Ecco had not just become a recognisable and beloved character for millions of gamers across the globe, but how this little Dolphin had helped us all to think more carefully about protecting our oceans.
Ed states that gamers have a higher IQ than most humans, something that I can definitely get behind. And he's channeled this thought into the Ecco games, much like with his incredibly smart dolphin characters. 'Like the ocean, a gaming community is an ecosystem – games like Ecco can and should be a conduit to join these realms. A big part of the game is understanding the ocean as a singular biological system that is made up of systems that interact with each other. This is a complex biological dance that humans can be a part of.'
When asked what the future holds for Ecco, Ed gave some incredible news that old Mega Drive/Genesis fans like me have been waiting to hear for years. He and the entire team that worked on the original Ecco the Dolphin game are going to remaster both Ecco the Dolphin and Sega CD game The Tides of Time for new audiences, as well as a brand new third title that they'll be working on that we don't have any information about yet.
It's been 32 years since The Tides of Time released on the Sega CD, and while we've had other Ecco games since with the last dropping on the Dreamcast in 2000, it's definitely time for a whole new generation of gamers to discover Ecco and find out more about the world under the waves in the process. There's currently a timer counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds to when the remasters will release - as I write this line, it's currently on 354 days and 27 minutes, so we've got around a year till next May to wait until Ecco returns. You can keep tabs on the timer at eccothedolphin.com!
