In case you stuffed an afternoon with fun by tearing down Springfield as Homer Simpson—dodging Chief Wiggum, collecting Buzz Cola cards, and running over innocent mailboxes—and, as a result, you already know why The Simpsons: Hit & Run is still brought up when one talks about cult classics. This open-world adventure from the year 2003 was not simply another quick cash-in on a popular TV show, but instead it was highly clever, had lots of charm, and at the same time was quite layered. Therefore, it is not surprising that, after more than two decades, gamers are still calling out for a remake, a sequel, or basically, any reason to get back behind the wheel of the Family Sedan.
What was the main novelty of Hit & Run? First of all, it was a game that first time allowed gamers to dwell in Springfield. Moreover, it wasn’t simply any version of Springfield – this was a universe filled with references, visual jokes, and hidden Easter eggs that made the game seem like it was made by people who loved The Simpsons. Radical Entertainment didn’t just gather together a yellow-tinged imitation of a city; they went through a very detailed process of not only rebuilding but also re-creating such places as Moe’s Tavern and the Kwik-E-Mart, and quite a few more. Besides, they even added the new lines from the original voice actors. It was like being taken into a new but alive episode of the show. The game had its copies sold in excess of three million, and the game got a lot of awards, but the main thing was whether it really brought to the audience the show’s outrageous, comedic attitude, at the same time being a tribute to the GTA craze of the early 2000s.
But here’s the odd part—and sort of sad. People have been asking for years: why wasn’t there ever a Hit & Run 2? The initial game was a huge success, of course. The solution, as it turns out from lead level designer Joe McGinn, is both confusing and infuriating. As McGinn explains, Gracie Films presented the developers with a proposal to make three sequels—with all the rights and voice acting involved—for free. Free. But someone at publisher Vivendi Universal Games said no for no apparent reason. McGinn has stated they never did discover who rejected the deal, and even the development team was surprised. In retrospect, now, it’s the type of head-scratching move that makes you want to yell “D’oh! ” at the top of your lungs. Rejecting free Simpsons rights back in the early 2000s?
Even now, that’s just about crazy. Although the sequel never actually happened, the affection for Hit & Run hasn’t decreased—just increased. Fans have replayed and modded it for years, and some have even converted it into entirely different experiences, such as a full-fledged Futurama-themed version simply for entertainment purposes. In January 2023, the complete soundtrack of the game finally became available on Spotify and Apple Music, and the internet went into a hope frenzy that a remake was finally a possibility.
And the rumblings only got louder when Matt Selman, co-showrunner of The Simpsons, said he’d be happy to see the game receive a proper remaster. Of course, getting it done is one thing and quite another. The Simpsons franchise is now owned by Disney, so licensing is a much more complex process. And Radical Entertainment, the company that made the first one, doesn’t exist in quite the same form anymore. Any new iteration would have to be remade from the ground up, and it’s no easy feat to recreate the very particular blend of humor, chaos, and nostalgia that the game was so well-loved for.
That hasn’t prevented enthusiasts, however—some independent developers have created beautiful demos using Unreal Engine 5, but with no formal go-ahead, those hobby efforts always threaten to disappear.
Nonetheless, if anything, the appetite for a return to Springfield is as great as ever. With twenty years of new content to draw upon—characters, places, gags—a well-made sequel could far surpass the original. Picture not only visiting Springfield, but Shelbyville, Capital City, perhaps even Itchy & Scratchy Land, all with today’s open-world technology. A game like this would be a fan’s greatest wish. Until that day arrives, Hit & Run remains a shining example of how to nail a licensed game—and a bittersweet reminder of what could’ve been if someone had just said “yes” to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For now, we’ll keep replaying the original, streaming the soundtrack, and holding out hope that someday, someone will finally bring us the return to Springfield we’ve been waiting for.