Last December, Sega filed trademarks for the long-dormant IP, Ecco the Dolphin. Read on to discover what this could mean for the future of this beloved franchise!
Sega Revives Ecco IP With Trademark
Ecco The Dolphin Returns
As reported by Gematsu, Sega filed trademarks for Ecco and Ecco the Dolphin in late December of last year, sparking excitement and speculation about a possible revival of the IP, which has been dormant for 24 years. The news became public today, following the filing on December 27th, 2024.
Ecco the Dolphin, first released in 1992, was developed by the Hungarian studio Appaloosa Interactive (formerly known as Novotrade International) and published by Sega. The game follows the adventures of Ecco, a bottlenose dolphin tasked with defending the planet from extraterrestrial threats. The series saw four sequels up until the year 2000. A sequel to the 2000 title, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, titled Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe, was planned but ultimately canceled due to the declining sales and eventual discontinuation of the Sega Dreamcast.
Currently, Sega is a prominent game developer and publisher, whereas Appaloosa Interactive ceased operations in the mid-2000s. However, many of its former staff members, including Ecco the Dolphin's creator Ed Annunziata, remain active in the industry. Annunziata, who released Space War Arena in 2019, expressed his ongoing 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!"
As of now, there have been no further concrete developments regarding the future of Ecco the Dolphin. Stay tuned for more updates. The trademark filing suggests that Ecco may soon join the growing list of IPs Sega is actively working on. Over the past two years, Sega has announced an impressive array of projects, including revivals of classic franchises such as Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, Shinobi, and Virtua Fighter, as well as new IPs like the mysterious Project Century and the RPG-like Virtua Fighter.
