2003’s The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a beloved classic game that never got a sequel, and now another key detail has come to light that probably won’t make fans very happy to hear.
Lead designer Joe McGinn said in an interview with Summoning Salt that Radical Entertainment wanted to make a sequel. In fact, McGinn said the studio had the rights for three sequels for no additional licensing fee.
“Gracie Films offered our publisher a deal to make three sequels, with all Simpsons rights and voice actors, for the preferred price of zero dollars (we wouldn’t have to pay anything for the Simpsons license in other words),” McGinn said (via GamesRadar).
Given that, anyone might have predicted that Radical would move forward with a sequel–but it wasn’t meant to be. “Some crazy person at the publisher [Vivendi Games]–we never found out who–said no,” McGinn said.
No further information was divulged in the interview about this, so we may never know who that person was or why they said no to making a sequel (or two). The game is reported to have sold as many as 10 million units over its lifetime, which certainly sounds like enough to justify a sequel. However, there could be countless reasons for why a sequel never materialized.
Hit & Run is fondly remembered and remains popular to this day, in part thanks to the speedrunning community. “We never imagined it would still be bringing some people happiness 20 years later!” McGinn said.
After Radical released Hit & Run in 2003, the studio launched licensed titles like CSI: Miami for Ubisoft, Scarface: The World is Yours with Vivendi, and later original games Prototype and Prototype 2 with Activision. Its last project was supporting Bungie on the original Destiny.
Given the rise in remakes and re-releases of video games in recent times, some are wondering if the 2003 game might be next in line. It’s too soon to say, but McGinn previously said he would “love” to see that.
Radical and Vivendi Games have both closed up shop, so any remake would seemingly have to come from a different developer and publisher. It’s not immediately clear who owns the video game rights to The Simpsons franchise.
Electronic Arts published 2007’s The Simpsons Game based on the film, as well as the mobile title The Simpsons: Tapped Out in 2012 (that game was delisted in October and ends service this coming January). The TV series is still on the air, but no announcements have been made about future video games.
Hit & Run was the second major Simpsons game from Radical, following 2001’s Simpsons: Road Rage, which wasn’t nearly as beloved as Hit & Run.