There’s Hope That the Greatest ‘Simpsons’ Video Game Could Come Back, Producer Says
More than 20 years ago, gamers got to drive through Springfield causing all sorts of mayhem in the 2003 video game The Simpsons: Hit & Run. A parody of the Grand Theft Auto series, Hit & Run was beloved for both its gameplay and the way it captured the humor of the iconic animated series. No other Simpsons game has come close, and nostalgic fans have wanted there to be some sort of Hit & Run rerelease or a remaster for ages. In a new interview, one of The Simpsons' executive producers says "never say never."
"Nothing is set in stone. But my quote about Hit & Run would be, 'Never say never,'" Matt Selman told People in an interview pegged to The Simpsons' landmark 800th episode. "Because we know people love it. We know they want it, so that's good. If we know people want it, never say never."
Hit & Run, which came out on the GameCube, PlayStation 2,Xbox, and PCs over two decades ago, had players controlling Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Apu as they got in and out of cars in various parts of Springfield and undertook missions as they raced from Evergreen Terrace to Moe's to Duff Brewery and beyond.
"Hit & Run is so interesting," Selman, who wrote the video game in addition to his work producing the flagship animated series, recalled. "I'm a thousand years old, and when I was in my mid to late 20s, I helped write Hit & Run. I had no idea it would become a cult game, a cult success. Of all the games, the thousands of Simpsons games... that one..."
Selman, who admitted his personal favorite game is actually the aptly titled The Simpsons Game from 2007, recalled how Hit & Run came about.
"Of course, it's so long ago, but I remember being in a meeting with whoever made it and Grand Theft Auto III had just come out, and so we were like, 'This has to be The Simpsons version of that."
There's No Confirmation That a Rerelease of The Simpsons: Hit & Run Is in the Works
To be clear, Selman is not breaking news that a remastered version (or even just a straightforward rerelease) of The Simpsons: Hit & Run is coming. In 2021, he told IGN that while he would "love to see a remastered version of [TheSimpsons: Hit & Run], it's a complicated corporate octopus to try to make that happen.”
The original game was developed by Radical Entertainment, a Canadian company that these days just works to support Activision Games. It was released by Vivendi Games, which has since merged with Activision Blizzard. Then there's also the licensing rights to The Simpsons to contend with, which involves Disney. It's easy to see how it might be more complicated than you'd hope to get the game out in the world anew.
But, as Selman said, "never say never."