There are certain games that our childhoods would not have been the same without. Whether it’s Mario Kart, Tekken or that Tomb Raider with the creepy butler, some games are essential to those good old childhood memories.
One such game that you certainly spent hours playing - instead of doing homework - was The Simpsons Hit & Run.
The beloved game, developed by Radical Entertainment, was released by Vivendi Universal Games in 2003 - if you can believe it.
For those of you who don’t remember that game (how could you not?!), The Simpsons Hit & Run was an open world game centred on a series of mysterious events and happenings across Springfield.
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From crop-circles to mind controlling Buzz Cola, Hit & Run had everything – even Grand Theft Auto-style driving but way more PG-13.
The Simpsons family, alongside some trusty fan favorites, take matters into their own hands, and try to get to the bottom of the strange mystery and alien conspiracy plaguing their beloved Springfield.
Fun stuff.
Following the huge success of the TV show, the game too became a massive commercial success, selling three million copies in under five years. Not to mention it became an instant cult classic, and remains as such even a whopping 20 years since its release.
Yep, I feel old as well.
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With all the success of the much loved game, you’re probably wondering why there has never been sequel. As it happens, over the years there have been multiple follow up games in the works, with sadly none of them coming to fruition.
But why?
Executive producer John Melchior has now opened up about the absence of a sequel for the MinnMax YouTube channel, saying there was ‘no doubt in anybody’s mind’ that Hit & Run was ‘going to be franchise’.
"In those early days, kind of everybody just imagines what they want, so I'm sure there were 12 competing storylines at that point.
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"Who knows what the final story would have been?"
As of what happened to the mysterious follow up games, well, this is when it gets a bit confusing.
When asked what halted production on sequel, Melchior said: “I don’t know.”
Elaborating on how his boss was equally as confused, he said: "It was a five-game deal for less money than I think Vivendi paid for the first game.
"He was just like, 'I don't understand. I gave it to you on a silver platter, why aren't you just saying yes and doing these games?' It was just a really bizarre decision. I'll never understand it. Most people on the production level never understood it."
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Hearing Melchior finally open up about the sad reality of the Hit & Run sequel might have you thinking there is hope for a one to hit the shelves in the near future?
Well, I hate to break it to you, but it doesn’t sound like there is.
You see, Vivendi failed to obtain the licensing rights to The Simpsons, which was later contracted to EA in 2005. The last time EA released a Simpsons game was 2007 - you do the math.
Melchior said: "It was sad because there was no momentum loss between the shipping of this game and the work being done on the sequel."
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I guess all we can do now is hope they remaster The Simpsons Hit & Run for one last crazy ride around Springfield with Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa and Maggie in tow.
Topics: The Simpsons, Gaming, US News, Technology, Entertainment