The Simpsons: Hit and Run has been making the rounds again as of late. Not to fulfill the dreams of a remaster or sequel but to explain what happened to potential Hit and Run sequels. Yes, multiple sequels.
In an interview, Ben Hanson, founder of MinnMax, had a chance to talk to programmers, designers, and producers who worked on The Simpsons: Hit and Run all those years ago. To give a history of the project but also explain behind-the-scenes decisions from their perspective. One of the producers, John Melchior, explains in a three-minute clip what happened to Hit and Run’s many sequels.
What Happened to The Simpsons: Hit and Run Sequels?
The Simpsons: Hit and Run served as a great alternative for kids and teenagers who couldn’t play the Grand Theft Auto series. It is much easier to sell parents on the idea of a rated-T for teen Simpsons game as opposed to the more mature and darker GTA.
With a five-game deal on the table that cost less than Hit and Run’s deal, Melchior explains that Vivendi Universal Games, the publishers of The Simpsons: Hit and Run, did not secure the license. The reasoning is unknown, leaving this team dumbfounded as to why Vivendi would not want to capitalize on more Simpsons video games.
The Simpsons: Hit and Run 2 would’ve been developed by Radical Entertainment, the same developers of the first game. There was also another Simpsons game that could’ve been done by Stormfront Studios. After 2002’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, it was tasked with creating a medieval-style Simpsons video game, but nothing came of it.
Melchior adds that they did not lose momentum going to its sequel. They were very much on board to bring The Simpsons fans and gamers more sandbox open-world gameplay. Melchior said:
We had airships. We had planes. We had lots to go on The Simpsons. This was going to be a franchise no doubt in everybody’s mind.
Because the license was not secured by Vivendi, EA was able to grab the license for itself to create The Simpsons Game in 2007. The move effectively killed any potential hope for The Simpsons: Hit and Run 2.
A lot of work wasn’t lost, as the team was still early in development. Nothing was playable, and it only had parts of what its sequel would look like, such as a PowerPoint presentation, a design document, and some game assets.
The story was not even finalized, as the team had many ideas of where to take The Simpsons: Hit and Run 2. Chris Mitchell, the game designer and writer for most of the story, does not remember pitching the sequel’s plot. Mitchell said:
It was all over the map because in those early days, everybody just imagines what they want. I’m sure there were like 12 competing story lines at that point…who knows what the final story would have been.
Darren Evenson, game designer, remembers the team being shocked that it would not be able to make Hit and Run 2. He said a sequel would be a “no-brainer” and added:
Of course we’re going to [make Hit and Run 2]. The stars are aligned. We’re treading down this path and just a ‘huh…I guess we’re not.’ Pure disbelief.
Melchior said the five-game deal was less expensive than The Simpsons: Hit and Run’s deal because FOX was happy with Hit and Run’s reception. He’ll never understand Vivendi’s decision to decline the deal. Others on the production level, like Melchior, never understood it either.
They thought Hit and Run 2 would be guaranteed, but Vivendi had other plans and did not secure the license. Five potential sequels, all dusted because it said no. What could’ve been can only be looked back upon, but maybe one day a remaster or remake of The Simpsons: Hit and Run will arrive on modern-day consoles.
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