Ecco the Dolphin Is Back With Remasters and a New Game, But the ‘Complete’ Collection Has One Big Gap
Ecco the Dolphin is officially swimming back into the spotlight, and for old-school Sega fans, this is one of those announcements that hits straight in the nostalgia zone.
After a countdown last May teased the franchise’s comeback, a new anthology called Ecco the Dolphin: Complete has now been announced. The package brings back older entries from the series and, more interestingly, includes a brand-new game as well.
The big selling point here is the team behind it. According to the announcement, original creator Ed Annunziata is involved, alongside returning members from the classic Ecco development crew, including people who worked on the music, art, and programming. Basically, this is not just some random IP revival being pushed out for retro cash. The pitch is that the people who understand Ecco’s strange, dreamy, oceanic vibe are back in the water.
But here’s the awkward part: despite the name Complete, the collection does not appear to include Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, the 2000 Dreamcast game that acted as a 3D reboot for the series.
That omission matters. Defender of the Future was the last proper Ecco release before this comeback, and while it moved away from the series’ traditional 2D structure, it was generally well received. It is also one of those Dreamcast-era games that a lot of retro fans still talk about because it came from a time when developers were experimenting hard with 3D worlds, atmosphere, and weird console-era ambition.
For Malaysian and SEA players, this is the kind of retro release that could quietly matter more than it looks. Ecco was never as mainstream here as Sonic or Street Fighter, but plenty of older gamers knew it through Sega Mega Drive collections, emulation, used game shops, or that one cousin who somehow had a Dreamcast setup back in the day. If this new collection lands on modern platforms with decent pricing, it could be the easiest way for local players to finally experience a series that was always more cult classic than blockbuster.
The missing Dreamcast title, though, makes the branding a bit sus. Calling something Complete naturally sets expectations. If Defender of the Future is absent because of rights, development history, or simply because Annunziata was not involved in that entry, fans will still want clarity. A collection can still be valuable without every single game, but then maybe do not make the title sound like the full museum archive, bro.
Outside of Ecco, Kotaku’s roundup also noted several other gaming-world updates: Xbox’s Asha Sharma said the idea of an Xbox mobile store is not dead, while also teasing another collaboration involving Game Pass and Discord. Hideo Kojima was spotted visiting Xbox leadership, which naturally restarted speculation around OD, his still-mysterious horror project first announced in 2023. Long-time Microsoft and Halo veteran Kiki Wolfkill is also leaving the company after 28 years.
On the Square Enix side, Final Fantasy VII is getting a board game called Ascend the Shinra Tower, which sounds like a mix of dungeon crawling and Jenga-style tower building. There was also a date for D-Topia, a cozy-looking adventure game with darker tech themes, launching July 14 across consoles and PC.
Still, the headline is Ecco. A genuine revival with original talent attached is exciting, especially for players who love strange, atmospheric games that do not feel focus-tested to death. Just do not call it complete if one of the most important chapters is missing.
Source: Kotaku
