The Simpsons Showrunner Explains Why There's No Hit & Run Remaster

Cue that iconic theme tune and grab the keys to the Globex Villain car. The co-showrunner of The Simpsons: Hit & Run has revealed why the vehicular mayhem of 2003's game has never had a modern remastering. As The Simpsons: Hit & Run continues its legacy as a cult classic, even those behind the title want to see it get a new lease of life.

As not only one of the most underrated game of the '00s, but of all time, The Simspons: Hit & Run was a flagrant ripoff of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series, but with a splash of yellow paint and a trip to Springfield. Taking America's favourite family, a few surprise guests, and an original storyline even GTA would be proud of, The Simspons: Hit & Run raced to the top of the charts.

Why hasn't there been a Simpsons: Hit & Run remaster?

A mere 18 years after we got behind the controls of Professor Frink's Hover Bike, gaming fans are rightly asking why there's never been a remastered version of The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Speaking to The Simpsons co-showrunner, IGN dug deep into why we've not revisited this virtual world for nearly two decades.

Discussing The Simpsons: Hit & Run's fan-favourite status, Matt Selman explained, "I would love to see a remastered version of [Simpsons Hit & Run], I would". Expanding on why it hasn't happened yet, Selman added, "It's a complicated corporate octopus to try to make that happen".

Selman went on to reveal the production process of how Hit & Run came to life. Apparently, yep, it was all to do with GTA. "We were all playing Grand Theft Auto at the time and publisher... they just wanted another driving game", said Selman.

"And we were like, everyone's playing whatever version of Grand Theft Auto, people need to get out of the cars", said Selman, "That was a huge creative battle over whether it was just a ‘driving around doing missions’ game or a ‘getting out of the car and doing missions’ game. But I do think the battle was worth fighting".

Selman's hard-fought battle gave Hit & Run its unique edge that pushed it ahead of the lacklustre Road Rage from 2001.

Will there be a Simpsons: Hit & Run remaster?

It's all well and good wanting a Hit & Run remaster, but what's the actual likelihood of it happening, or maybe even a long-awaited sequel? There's no lack of love for the first game, with a recent fan-made finally stitching the levels together in one seamless map. Elsewhere, another superfan showed off what a potential remaster could look like in PlayStation's Dreams.

Ironically, the idea of a remaster was broached by Hit & Run producer Vlad Ceraldi, who explained how he'd always imagined a Hit & Run remaster as a multi-platform release. This leads us to our next problem. No one really knows who owns the rights to Hit & Run - explaining why it's not on any digital storefront.

Publisher Vivendi Universal Games has since been absorbed into Activision, while developer Radical Entertainment suffered massive job losses following the commercial failure of Prototype 2 in 2012. Much of the original team is scattered through the industry, and it would be a labour of love to bring The Simpsons: Hit & Run back to life.

As we return to our summoning circle and chant for a Hit & Run remaster, the only way to play this gaming giant is by dusting off your old PC, Xbox, or PlayStation 2. Here's hoping our yellow dreams come true one day.