One of those moments when you burst out laughing without thinking about the consequences comes from tearing through the streets of Springfield as the police give chase during a full-blown car-crash spree, and that chaotic joy perfectly captures why The Simpsons: Hit & Run remains a cult classic. Released in 2003, the open-world adventure was never a lazy attempt to cash in on the franchise but a surprisingly smart and finely crafted game with layers of depth that set it apart from other licensed titles of its era. By faithfully channeling the spirit of the series while delivering genuinely engaging gameplay, it earned a lasting place in players’ memories, making it no surprise that more than 20 years later, fans are still calling for a remake, a sequel, or any excuse to get back behind the wheel of the Family Sedan.
Why was Hit & Run such an innovation? The game came into the world when it was the first one that made it possible for gamers to be a part of Springfield life. Furthermore, not even any Springfield – this one was filled with references, the visual gags, and the Easter eggs, which made the users feel like the game was sourced from folks who were fans of The Simpsons. Radical Entertainment did not just dip the city in yellow and present a fake one; they not only reconstructed the likes of Moe’s Tavern and the Kwik-E-Mart but also recorded the new lines of the original characters’ voices. It was like going into a living, breathing episode of the show. The game sold over 3 million copies and was showered with awards, but the main thing was whether the game was able to capture the comedy of the show, while being a GTA clone of the early 2000s, which it was, with a lot of homage.
The weird thing is, though—and a little bit sad—that the question of why there has never been a Hit & Run 2 is the one people have been asking for years. As you might guess, the sequel never came because the first game was a massive hit, right? The answer to this riddle, which lead level designer Joe McGinn gave, was quite a bit daunting and confusing at the same time. As per McGinn’s story, Gracie Films offered the developers a deal for three follow-ups—with all the rights and voice acting included—at zero cost. Free. However, someone from publisher Vivendi Universal Games said no for a totally arbitrary reason. McGinn has it that they never found out who turned down the offer, and the development team was also quite surprised. Looking back at it now, it is the kind of decision that makes you want to scream “D’oh!” at the top of your lungs. Turning down free Simpsons rights back in the early 2000s?
It’s still pretty much insane. Love for the game has only grown with time, and the devoted followers of Hit & Run have been playing the game over and over again and applying modifications for many years. There are even some scenarios where the game has been entirely converted into new ones, for instance, a complete Futurama-themed version just for fun, by some fans. At the beginning of 2023, the full game soundtrack became available on Spotify and Apple Music, and people started to dream that a remake was finally on its way.
The murmurs were amplified further by Matt Selman, co-showrunner of The Simpsons, expressing his desire to see the game remastered properly. Sure, making it happen is a different thing altogether, though. As the Simpsons franchise is under Disney now, licensing is quite a complicated affair. Besides, Radical Entertainment, the one responsible for the first installment, isn’t quite the same company anymore. If there were to be a new version, it wouldn’t be a continuation but a completely new game, and recreating the perfect mix of humor, chaos, and nostalgia that the original game had would not be an easy task.
Nevertheless, the fans and the zealots of the game have not been deterred by this fact—several independent developers have put together some great demos with Unreal Engine 5, but without any official greenlight, these passion projects are always on the verge of vanishing.
Still, if anything, the desire to revisit Springfield has never been stronger. Given the 20 years of new materials to pull from—characters, locations, jokes—a properly made sequel could be a lot better than the first one. Imagine not only being able to go through Springfield but also Shelbyville, Capital City, or even Itchy & Scratchy Land, all equipped with today’s open-world tech. Such a game would be the ultimate dream of any fan. Until that time comes, Hit & Run is a brilliant way to show how licensed games should be done and a sad reminder of what might have been if someone had just uttered ‘yes’ to that once-in-a-lifetime offer. We will continue to play the original, listen to the soundtrack, and keep our hopes up that someday, someone will bring us the return to Springfield we’ve been waiting for.