Simpsons Hit & Run devs will ‘never understand’ why sequel didn’t go ahead

The developers of The Simpsons: Hit & Run shared their disbelief that the title never received a sequel, which is something they will “never understand”.

Released in 2003, The Simpsons: Hit & Run was an extremely popular title based on Fox’s famous family and shared similarities to Grand Theft Auto—culminating in the game widely being considered the greatest game The Simpsons have ever featured in.

However, despite huge commercial success and garnering a cult following, two decades have now gone by without a sequel or even a remaster being made. That has come as a complete surprise to fans and it turns out the developers are just as stunned.

Speaking on the MixxMax Youtube channel, as spotted by IGN, a group of developers behind The Simpsons: Hit & Run lifted the lid on the lack of a sequel and expressed their feelings on the matter.

It was revealed that a sequel was on the cards from Radical Entertainment but production was eventually halted, with producer John Melchior still not knowing the reason why a follow-up game was scrapped. “It was just a really bizarre decision. I’ll never understand it. Most people on the production level never understood it,” Melchior stated.

Development on a sequel was axed very early on, so there were no details of a potential plot, but one proposed feature was the ability to tow objects from vehicles—with programmer Greg Mayer putting together a prototype for the feature.

Plans were very broad at this stage, with the hopes of creating a franchise and an agreement for five further games, including a sequel, but that all fell apart when Vivendi failed to secure the video game rights for The Simpsons. Those rights eventually went to EA Games, who still retain the rights to the franchise, though they’ve not put out a game from the franchise since 2007. That in itself is staggering considering the vast popularity that The Simpsons has to this day.

So, there you have it. Next time you find yourself cursing the long, long wait for Grand Theft Auto 6, just remember that the wait for a sequel to The Simpsons: Hit & Run is much longer and appears likely to span on for eternity.