The Simpsons executive producer teases potential Hit and Run game sequel: "I had no idea it would become a cult game"

Cast your mind back to the simpler times of 2003, and amidst all of the major pop culture moments of the time, there was one game that continued to be the talk of the town – The Simpsons: Hit and Run.

Whether you played it at the time of its early 2000s release or have since picked it up as nostalgia continues to reign supreme in the world, Hit and Run has remained a hit spin-off idea of the original series. Who knew that embodying the likes of Homer, Marge, Lisa and Apu as they seek to find out what weird occurrences are unfolding in Springfield could spawn so much joy?

Well, after 23 years, fans of the game now have an update on a potential revival of the game.

Speaking to People to celebrate the 800th episode of The Simpsons, the show's showrunner and Hit and Run writer Matt Selman simply said of the possibility: "Never say never."

While it may not be quite the definitive "yes" or "no" that fans may have been waiting for, it at least indicates that the idea may be ruminating in his mind.

Speaking further about the legacy of the game, Selman said: "Hit & Run is so interesting. I'm a thousand years old, and when I was in my mid to late 20s, I helped write Hit & Run. I had no idea it would become a cult game, a cult success. Of all the games, the thousands of Simpsons games... that one...

"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."

As Selman explains, Hit and Run is the perfect mix between being grounded firmly in the random world of The Simpsons while also having the jeopardy aspect that comes from playing Grand Theft Auto. The gameplay itself was very reminiscent of GTA, with a particular focus on driving throughout Hit and Run, various driving missions and hidden vehicles to scout out.

Of course, as it pertains to the very name of the game, Hit and Run also emphasised quite literally doing as you please – whether it was jump-kicking random NPCs, wrecking Springfield or mowing people down in your cars. However, if you caused too much chaos, then the police were quickly on hand to chase you down.

Read more:

• Steam Controller reactions arrive online as devs praise 'Mac-like' trackpads
• Xbox Project Helix price rumours cause stir online as fans question the new console's cost

The premise of the game was almost like something out of one of the Halloween episodes of the series, with Springfield seeing a strange sequence of events start to take place as mystery vans, security cameras and crop circles start to pop up. It turned out to all be down to alien activity, something that players start to suss out as they progress through the open-world game.

The popularity of the game meant that a sequel to Hit and Run was initially planned after its original release, but nothing ever came to fruition despite reports that work on the sequel had actually been underway.

In an interview with MinnMax in 2023, Hit and Run producer John Melchior revealed that two Simpsons games were originally in development after the release of Hit and Run, with publisher Vivendi Universal Games being given the option to make five and rejecting that offer.

Melchior said: “Simpsons Hit & Run 2 would have been done by Radical, [and] there was a medieval Simpsons game that Matt Groening pitched, which was being done at Stormfront after Lord of the Rings.

“The biggest crime was that Vivendi did not obtain the Simpsons licence, though they had an offer in. The Simpsons came back with an offer, five games for X amount of dollars, it was a really good deal, and Vivendi said no. After the success of Hit & Run.”

While the previous deal may have been a bust, fans can keep their fingers crossed that - just maybe - Selman's recent statements can spell hope for a Hit and Run future.

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.