Vivendi Universal Games and Radical Entertainment’s 2003 action-adventure game, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, may be set for a revival.
During an interview with PEOPLE (via Knoebelbroet on Twitter/X), Matt Selman, the executive producer and showrunner of The Simpsons, hinted at the possibility of a revival of The Simpsons: Hit & Run. While discussing the long-running animated series reaching its milestone 800th episode, he reflected on his experience working on the 2003 action-adventure game and the legacy it has developed over the years. At the time, Selman was in his mid-to-late 20s and helped write the game alongside Tim Long and Matt Warburton.
Selman also recalled one particular design debate during development that ultimately shaped the game’s gameplay. When the team was working on the project, the massive success of Grand Theft Auto III had just influenced the gaming industry. “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. You have to be able to get in and out of the cars.’ They so did not want people to get in and out of the cars. So, that was a huge battle we had to fight of getting in and out of the cars. We luckily won that battle because it is fun to get in and out of the cars.”
Despite the continued popularity of the game, Selman acknowledged that reviving or remastering it would not be simple. Rights issues and corporate logistics often make projects like this complicated. Still, he made it clear that the door isn’t completely closed. “Nothing is set in stone. But my quote about Hit & Run would be, ‘Never say never,’” Selman said. “Because we know people love it. We know they want it, so that’s good. If we know people want it, never say never.”
Last month, The Simpsons: Hit & Run developer Radical Entertainment was renamed to New Radical Games, with the studio’s new website hinting at the possibility of a remaster. Read about it here.
