Sega trademarks could point to the return of another classic series
Ecco the Dolphin trademarks were filed by Sega in December
Sega has filed new trademarks for the long dormant Ecco the Dolphin series.
As spotted by Gematsu, the publisher filed trademarks for ‘Ecco’ and ‘Ecco the Dolphin’ in Japan on December 27, 2024.
The trademarks were made public today. It’s unclear what Sega’s intentions are for the IP, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.
Developed by Novotrade International (which was later renamed Appaloosa Interactive), the first Ecco the Dolphin game was initially released for the Genesis/Mega Drive in 1992.
A sequel, Ecco: The Tides of Time, arrived two years later for most of Sega’s then-supported platforms.
Two Ecco Jr. spin-off games were also released in the mid-90s. The last series entry was Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, a reboot released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000.
SEGA filed trademarks for “Ecco the Dolphin” and “Ecco” on December 27 in Japan, which were made public today.
Ecco the Dolphin: https://t.co/GOr3oxAJeX
Ecco: https://t.co/MmQVPeybWj pic.twitter.com/HbcM6AeNiR— Gematsu (@gematsu) January 13, 2025
In December 2023, Sega announced that it’s developing new entries in the Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Shinobi and Crazy Taxi series. And last month, it announced a new Virtua Fighter game.
“We have some great pillars – such as Sonic, Persona and Yakuza. But at the same time, we have other properties that really show the style, attitude and context of Sega,” the publisher’s America and Europe CEO, Shuji Utsumi, recently told the Guardian. “I think gamers will love it if we do this right. It will be a challenge – there are great expectations – but if we can respond to that, we can get back to being Sega.”
