The Simpsons: Hit & Run sequel was apparently cancelled
Some games are so brilliant they've transcended the rest and risen into an echelon where they're immortalised. While there are still calls for Bloodborne, Bully, and The Simpsons: Hit & Run sequels, it's time to accept that they'll probably never happen.
In one of the biggest "what if?" stories we've heard in a while, it sounds like we were achingly close to getting a Hit & Run sequel. It means the beloved GTA-inspired game could've found a whole new fan base and potentially improved on the near-perfect outing of the OG Hit & Run.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run nearly had a sequel
Several of the original team have got together for an interview with MinnMax, where Hit & Run Executive Producer John Melchoir said that Radical Entertainment was working on a proper Hit & Run sequel, while another developer was working on a mysterious "Medieval" Simpsons game.
As for what happened to Hit & Run 2, he said, "The biggest crime was that Vivendi didn't obtain the Simpsons license, although they had an offer." According to Melchoir, "The Simpsons came back with an offer of five games for X amount of dollars. It's a really good deal, and V said no."
Lamenting how publisher Vivendi Universal Games could say no after the success of Hit & Run, Melchoir expanded on what the sequel would've involved, hyping airship and planes: "We had lots to go on The Simpsons, this was going to be a franchise no doubt in everybody's mind."
In the end, EA swept in and took the license, giving us 2007's The Simpsons Game. Melchoir continued, "It was sad because I think I think we had a ton of momentum, there was no momentum loss between the shipping of this game and the work being done on the sequel."
When asked if it was playable, Melchoir concluded, "We had a design dock, a PowerPoint, I think we had I think we had a gym. I think we had the blimp moving around, but I don't think we had much more than that because it was like a no-brainer, of course we're gonna do this."
What happened to the Hit & Run sequel?
Click to enlargeDesigner Chris Mitchell spoke about whether Hit & Run 2 had a story but said, "Not in the slightest, quite frankly, it was all over the map because, in those early days, everybody just imagines what they want. I'm sure there were 12 competing storylines at that point, and everyone was absolutely sure that was the one."
Fellow designer Darren Evenson said there was "disbelief" that Hit & Run 2 was canned. Melchoir reiterated that the offer of five games was for less than what they paid to acquire the first Hit & Run. He described it as "a really bizarre decision, I'll never understand it. Most people on the production level never understood it."
