Indie developer Cococucumber is, for the primary time ever, making an attempt its hand at a sequel with Echo Era 2.
The place the primary turn-based romp channeled ‘80s and ‘90s vibes to create a nostalgic journey that seemed like Stranger Issues was tossed right into a blender with voxel graphics and basic RPG gameplay, the sequel goes a completely new path. The sideways prequel skips the comfy small-town really feel to drop gamers straight right into a B-movie, cosmic horror story the place they play because the lacking father from the primary sport.
Its first trailer, which debuted as a part of right now’s November 2025 Xbox Companion Preview, teases a way more horrific expertise for Cococucumber. We sat down with sport director Martin Gavreau and studio producer and director Vanessa Chia to study extra about Echo Era 2’s inspirations, how fan suggestions helped information growth, and why the workforce determined to revisit considered one of its present universes from a brand new perspective. You may see the whole lot they needed to say within the interview under.
IGN: Inform me about what persons are going to see on Thursday. Inform me about this trailer and what precisely Echo Era 2 is.
Martin Gavreau: It is very totally different than the primary sport. We weren’t positive how far we may go together with it, as a result of if you do a sequel, you have got many choices. You can say, ‘Let’s simply do extra of the identical,’ otherwise you do one thing totally totally different, or wherever in between. There was a little bit of an existential disaster of ‘What will we do with this?’ We felt that we needed to see how far we may increase on this world-building. The primary sport, aside from a really quick second, the whole lot is inside possibly a 5-10-mile radius of a small city, you realize? The sequel, it is rather more than that (laughs). It is rather more. It is throughout the galaxy. We go to a unique planet, we go to a unique dimension, a unique time period, and in addition, what’s at stake is far greater than, ‘OK, I wish to work out what occurred to my dad.’
You concentrate on the primary sport, you begin simply taking part in along with your sister on the street with a raccoon, after which at one level, you struggle a mech with the cannon and lasers. You are imagined to be only a child infiltrating a army base. There is a ramp going as much as there, and we needed to have this ramp up on one other scale. Generally, in some basic RPGs, you begin in your city and you find yourself combating gods. So it is like, ‘Let’s go all the way in which there.’
So, the trailer, what we’ll see is a part of the story. We’re not revealing the whole lot. There’s massive story moments that aren’t within the trailer that we wish to maintain. I do not assume we’ll reveal them even later, earlier than launch, we wish to maintain a variety of shock. We’re not taking part in as a child anymore. We’re taking part in as the daddy who disappeared, and it is earlier than the primary sport. I imply, if you you play with time journey, is it a prequel? So it is part of a prequel/sequel in some methods. There’s some reference to the primary sport that, I believe, individuals who performed the primary sport, will certainly see a variety of connection, however in an expanded universe that occurred throughout a unique time.
We will leap forwards and backwards between the long run and the previous. Actually, actually greater scope and extra complicated plot to…I do not wish to spoil it, however there is a a lot greater concern taking place throughout the galaxy. We, after all, wish to return dwelling as a result of we’re getting trapped. To return will turn out to be finally, after all, nonetheless a aim, however what is the level of going again should you’re going again to ruins? You do not wish to come again to your Hobbit city and the Shire, after which it is all burned and destroyed. So that you wish to just be sure you go on a journey of journey, but in addition you are going to come again to a world that’s nonetheless, you realize, intact and exists.
Echo Era 2 clearly has some connections to the primary sport, however it additionally appears so totally different. I’m questioning, why a sequel? Why a sequel to Echo Era as an alternative of one thing like Ravenlok or Riverbond?
Gavreau: I imply, I’d like to do a sequel for Riverbond and Ravenlok. Revisiting these video games and increasing on them could be a improbable alternative. However why do Echo Era? There’s all the time a little bit of a enterprise determination, as a result of there’s all the time a danger related to making any sport, however we’re small within the studio, so it is what we really feel like doing. We sit down and we discuss all of the workforce, share a bit there, you realize, their concepts and what we prefer to work on, as a result of there’s all the time a risk additionally to create a brand new sport, no? And it is the identical factor with making a sequel, and all people beloved making the primary one. I believe it is simply the need to return to this world and increase on it.
We began the manufacturing proper when the pandemic began, 5 years in the past, already. So it simply coincided, the place we entered manufacturing for it, and at first there was much more unknown about, ‘Is the entire world gonna collapse? Is all people gonna die?’ We used the sport as a small protected haven construction. Once I’m at work, we do not speak about politics, we do not discuss concerning the vaccine or the virus. We simply…we live Echo Era, and we stay in that world, to our little bubble of creativeness with these cute characters and speaking raccoon, you realize? It sort of helped us maintain our sanity all through the occasions of the pandemic, I believe.
Perhaps there is a particular sort of affiliation with it emotionally, and we felt just like the story was not completed, that we had so many concepts that we could not put within the first sport, that had been left on the chopping room, so to talk, that we had been actually excited to go and work extra on it. I believe that was most likely the explanation after Ravenlok to return to Echo Era. Now, I do not assume it will be an Echo Era 3 after that. We’ve different plans, and there is been a unique factor that we have been engaged on. Between all of the video games you are able to do, you need to commit to at least one, and all people felt impressed. It is such a protracted period of time to not make a sport.
It is not going to spend every week or a month, it may very well be years, and it is what you reside with every single day. You ask your self, ‘Do I wish to stay with that world every single day? Do I wish to discover?’ It is a long-term relationship, in a approach, as a result of even after you launch, you might want to patch it. It is many, a few years. I wish to ensure that not solely me is on board, and I like to do it, however all people who has to work on it can discover one thing attention-grabbing. It was not straightforward to not make a sequel. We realized it was more durable than we thought, however we actually needed to make that sport.
Echo Era actually wears its inspirations on its sleeves. As a result of Echo Era 2 is so totally different from the get-go, what are among the different inspirations for this sport particularly? The flicks, video games, books, and exhibits that helped affect its growth?
Gavreau: That is nice that this may very well be seen, that you could possibly observe these issues in taking part in the primary sport. We’re not hiding it, and we needed to make use of totally different ones for the sequel and go locations we did not go earlier than, like cosmic horror, for instance. So if you concentrate on, you realize, the Name of Cthulhu and issues which can be extra sort of like, ‘What’s on the market in area? Is there forces past what are actually there, and we’re simply not linked with them, and what in the event that they uncover humanity? So there’s a part of it’s cosmic horror, however a part of it is also Star Wars (laughs). We needed to maintain the identical feeling of the primary sport. We needed to make use of a variety of totally different inspiration that does not appear to be they are going to work collectively at first.
We’ve additionally a part of Cyberpunk. We’ve Blade Runner. We went for extra of the sci-fi inspiration. We’ve 2001: A Area Odyssey in there. There’s additionally X Information, as a result of it is so enjoyable to have. There’s this type of big biomass that we teleport experiment once more, like The Fly from Cronenberg. So, we went to inspiration that’s extra within the horror and sci-fi aspect, even when there is a little bit of enjoyable in there. I obtained fascinated, too, with this concept of the Backrooms. So possibly now we have a little bit little bit of that in there. That there is this different actuality subsequent to us, the place there’s this type of thoughts maze, the place you may get misplaced.
It will be a way more violent and scary sport than the primary one. Perhaps not for teenagers totally a lot anymore. I believe our score goes to be most likely 16 or 18 plus. We do not actually give it some thought, however simply after we fill out the questionnaire, no matter occurred occurred. However there’s extra blood, extra gore, and it’s pixel and voxel (laughs). So it isn’t as scary, possibly, however it’s sort of enjoyable in a approach, like if you see the scientist getting smashed up with the blood. There’s this playfulness with it, like B-movie playfulness that you’ve got in motion pictures like Tremors, and we needed to seize that cool.
Why is launching day one on Xbox Recreation Move the fitting transfer, particularly, for Echo Era 2?
Gavreau: Properly, the primary one was on Recreation Move. Plenty of followers and individuals who found the sport are on Xbox already, so it simply appears like a logical technique to do one thing comparable with the sequel. Aside from that, for us, I believe it is our fourth sport that is going to launch on Recreation Move. We have we had this wonderful relationship with Xbox that we had an opportunity to have their assist. If you end up on Recreation Move, it comes with a variety of advertising and marketing assist, like being a part of a present or social media. Unbiased video video games do not all the time have a writer.
We do not have a writer, so this type of assist actually helped the sport to get found. There’s so many individuals on Recreation Move that should you see a title that you simply’re not aware of, give it an opportunity, attempt it out, and see should you prefer it. It actually helped open a variety of alternatives for the sport to be performed, and the tip of the day, as a sport developer, that is what you need. You need to have the ability to share your creation with as a lot individuals as potential. I believe with Recreation Move, positively, it has been unimaginable to have all this interplay and this communication with the neighborhood on Xbox.
Have been there any main factors of fan suggestions after the primary sport that you simply particularly wish to deal with with Echo Era 2?
Gavreau: Oh, yeah, positively. A few of them, we deal with within the Midnight Version. After we began the sequel after Ravenlok, we had been pondering, ‘Why do not we deal with a few of these points that some individuals had taking part in the sport and make a particular version of the primary sport?’ That was going to assist us get again in that universe and see if it is potential to enhance it in some methods, for high quality of life. We actually listened to participant suggestions. Additionally, one thing narratively, the primary sport, it was enjoyable for being episodic, and in addition on the identical time, there is a value, and the associated fee is possibly the overarching predominant story suffered a bit from it. We nonetheless maintain this episodic format in some methods, however there is a a lot stronger connection round the primary story.
This is likely one of the issues we tried to enhance. Hopefully, we’ll see if that works. One other one is to make the fight quicker. The fight is a lot quicker now, the way in which we designed it. It was one of many design pointers from the beginning. We’d like to have the ability to struggle and resolve issues a lot quicker. If you wish to cease and assume you may, however if you wish to go quick, it’s potential to go very quick via the animation or the choices given to you.
Going right into a deck-building mechanic, now, additionally retains the fight attention-grabbing all through. What we noticed is, generally, individuals, they discover a companion, they love one transfer, and so they simply maintain taking part in with that companion and that one transfer. Properly, hey, there are a variety of totally different attention-grabbing strikes that we designed, so if we add the deck-building mechanic, now you may alter relying on the enemies you encounter. Perhaps your deck will work in opposition to a sure setting, sure varieties of enemies, however you might want to alter it in different conditions.
You’ll want to maintain adjusting your fight model, relying on enemies and relying on the kind of playing cards. You must have extra selection on that aspect. These had been among the suggestions we tried to enhance and implement on that aspect, for the fight and the story.
I do not assume I noticed a launch date. I am assuming, clearly, that is not one thing you may give me, however is that this a sport we see in 2026, or is there any sort of window you’re focusing on?
Gavreau: I used to be simply speaking this morning with a workforce member and what they had been engaged on subsequent, and so they’re like, ‘I am completed.’ (laughs) How will you be completed? How will you be completed with the sport? Let’s take a look.
However we’re fairly superior. I believe we wish to be certain that now we have sufficient time to shine the whole lot. We wish to ensure that now we have time to stability all of the fight and the journey, however the sport is fairly superior. How early is determined by how briskly we will undergo the final section of creating positive the sport is correctly balanced, and the whole lot runs easily.
(Editor’s Notice: Cococucumber clarified after the interview that Echo Era 2 is focusing on a 2026 launch window.)
Is there anything you would like so as to add about Echo Era 2, the method of getting right here, main as much as this reveal, and what it is prefer to lastly pull again the curtain?
Gavreau: It feels unusual, as a result of we began engaged on it so way back. We began engaged on it proper after the primary one was launched, after which it has been out and in. We had been exploring various kinds of gameplay and prototyping. It is perhaps, possibly, 4 years? I do not know, three or 4 years that this sport has been, in some methods, in growth? It feels a bit unusual that, lastly, we’re going to have the ability to speak about it. We’re very excited to see if persons are going to recollect it or be excited for it.
I believe it is 4 years since (Echo Era) launched. So you might want to include one thing new. You’ll want to take some danger. That is what we determined to do with the sport. Perhaps some individuals needed to have one thing very comparable. However this isn’t precisely the choice we took. We determined to take extra inventive danger for the story and the sport mechanic. Hopefully it nonetheless appears like an Echo Era sport, and the fan will embark on this journey and discover it attention-grabbing, however it’s, in some ways, going to be very totally different.
We had been speaking concerning the references, however the tone and the journey, the journey, the fight, the velocity of it, and the violence of it, and the thrill to to journey throughout the galaxy into to finish up discovering all these tremendous highly effective entities, I believe, for us, it is tremendous thrilling to have the ability to lastly share a few of it, and shortly, when it is prepared, the sport. I want to discuss extra about sure issues – I can not in the meanwhile.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is greatest recognized for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. You’ll want to give him a comply with on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
