The unique Simpsons: Hit & Run, launched 20 years in the past in 2003, ended up being an enormous hit and offered hundreds of thousands of copies. So a sequel, that includes planes, was deliberate. However then the writer shocked everybody when it handed on a sweetheart deal to create extra Hit & Run video games.
Developed by Radical Leisure and revealed by Vivendi, The Simpsons Hit & Run was a semi-open-world GTA-like online game starring the favored Simpsons household and a bunch of different characters from the long-running animated present. It was launched to optimistic opinions in September 2003 on PS2, GameCube, and Xbox. It additionally offered extremely effectively, was beloved by followers, and had a improvement staff that was excited to create extra. And Fox, in addition to the parents behind The Simpsons, wished extra and supplied a deal to Vivendi that may have led to doubtlessly 5 extra sequels. However the writer handed, in accordance with people who labored on the sport.
In a new video interview from MinnMax, six of the unique builders and producers who labored on Hit & Run sat down to offer an oral historical past of how the favored sport got here to be. Throughout this dialogue, govt producer John Melchior (who labored with Fox) defined that the sequel was a “no-brainer” for everybody concerned.
In line with Melchior and the others, whereas the unique Hit & Run solely featured vehicles and vehicles, the deliberate sequel would have featured blimps, airships, and planes.“We had heaps to go on The Simpsons [Hit & Run]. This was going to be a franchise, little question in anyone’s thoughts,” Melchior stated.
Hit & Run programmers Cary Brisebois and Greg Mayer additional revealed that work was being finished on a towing mechanic that may have let gamers drag round wagons and trailers behind vehicles.
Sadly for followers of Hit & Run, Vivendi handed on the deal. Melchior claimed the five-game deal would have price the writer the identical or lower than it paid for the Simpsons license for simply Hit & Run. He defined that the deal was so good as a result of everybody at Fox and The Simpsons TV present was impressed by Hit & Run and wished extra. However as a result of Vivendi handed on it, EA swooped in and acquired the license to supply its personal Simpsons video games.
A Hit & Run remake? Possibly…
After all, sequels appear unlikely now, however all the people concerned within the sport’s creation would like to see a remake. Actually, through the interview, all of them expressed admiration for YouTuber reubs’ UE5 remake, with one developer saying that Disney (who now owns Fox) ought to simply launch that fan sport because it’s higher than what they made.
That in all probability received’t occur, and in accordance with Melchior a remake must contain each Disney and Activision (who owns the unique sport code). So don’t maintain your breath for a brand new Hit & Run sport anytime quickly.
Or do! However earlier than you cross out whereas ready for a sequel or remake, I’d suggest watching the full MinnMax oral history interview because it reveals extra details about the sport’s improvement, together with who added these cool vacation cheat codes, what Fox made them reduce, how Simpsons’ writers tried to sneak in dirtier jokes than what the present would enable, and the way we virtually bought a PSP port of the sport.
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