Will there be a Simpsons Hit and Run 2?

When it comes to video games that deserve a sequel, The Simpsons: Hit and Run is right up there with Bully. The cult classic was a hit with gamers and non-gamers alike, and seventeen years after release continues to be a cultural touchstone for a certain generation.

Due to its strangely unwavering popularity, why it was never given a follow up has always been a mystery, but according to one developer who worked on the game, a sequel at one point was in production.

Senior designer Joe McGinn spoke to GAME Media and revealed that Hit and Run 2 was set to enter full production shortly after the original shipped, and he and the rest of the team were even working on prototypes. However, Joe admitted, "We never got very far before EA won the rights to the Simpsons Movie game."

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Was The Simpsons Game worth the sacrifice of Hit and Run 2? It was certainly a solid title, but EA hasn't exactly done the brand justice since. That was the company's first and last console release, and since then EA has essentially used the license purely to capitalise on the mobile market with The Simpsons: Tapped Out.

Do you think EA has done the license justice? Leave your eulogies for Simpsons: Hit and Run 2 down in the comments below!

The Simpsons: Hit and Run has been remade as a gorgeous open-world game with new features. For those who aren't aware of the original game, The Simpsons: Hit and Run was a GTA-like game released during the PS2-era that allowed fans to experience Springfield a semi-open world setting. Given the technical limitations of the game, Springfield was split up in to levels, each with its own narrative purpose and playable member of the Simpson family. It is widely considered to be one of the best-licensed games out there as its incredibly fun to drive through the animated city, hijack cars, push over citizens, and experience all of the fun references. On top of that, it has aliens, which is always a good addition to any game.

There's been a lot of demand for a remaster of The Simpsons: Hit and Run and it seems like one fan is trying to make that a reality. YouTuber reubs has started remaking The Simpsons: Hit and Run with modern remastered graphics, one continuous open-world rather than a game split into levels or zones, and even multiplayer. It's a pretty ambitious project, but reubs has stated that it's being made purely for entertainment purposes and won't actually ever be made available to the public. Understandably, reubs likely doesn't want to risk any legal ramifications from Fox/Disney, so this decision makes sense. 

Nevertheless, given the fact the possibility of a remaster of The Simpsons: Hit and Run has been posed by one of the producers of the original game, this could lead to an official remaster. Given there has been lots of requests for a remaster of this iconic game, support for reubs' fan project could show Disney there is a lot of interest in an official version of this. After all, the desire for a remaster of Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom eventually resulted in THQ Nordic making it a reality.

Would you want to see a remaster of The Simpsons: Hit and Run? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

"I remember our psychics guru - Grey Mayer - got connected vehicles working," McGinn says, "so you could have a trailer being pulled behind a car with some fun results." 

It's interesting to hear that ideas for a sequel was actually being worked on at some stage after the release of the first, but alas, it was not to be. "We never got very far before EA won the right to the Simpsons Movie game," McGinn explains, "so sadly there was nothing we could do but move on." 

Hit and Run originally released back in 2003 on GameCube, PS2, and Xbox, and saw you playing as a variety of different Simpsons characters driving all manner of vehicles around to complete timed missions. With an open-world like feel and plenty of Simpsons humour, it's cemented its place as one of the more memorable games to come out of the famous TV show. 

Just last year, Hit and Run's creator Vlad Ceraldi expressed the desire to see the game remastered or remade (opens in new tab) in an interview with Ladbible (opens in new tab). McGinn also seems to share the same sentiment, saying, "I would love to have it myself on my Nintendo Switch." McGinn goes on to point out that if you can find the PC version, it works on modern versions of Windows. 

As one of the standout games based on the famous cartoon family, the love for The Simpsons Hit and Run continues to this day. I can't help but wonder just what the sequel would have shaped up to be and how it would've expanded on the first. Just knowing a prototype once existed is pretty tantalising, isn't it? Still, we can live in hope that maybe we'll see a remaster someday. 

Are they making a new Simpsons Hit and Run?

Will there be a Simpsons game 2?