2003's The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a cherished classic that never received a sequel, and a recent revelation has likely dampened fans' spirits. Lead designer Joe McGinn disclosed in an interview with Summoning Salt that Radical Entertainment had aspirations for a sequel. In fact, McGinn revealed that the studio held the rights for three sequels without any additional licensing costs.

"Gracie Films proposed a deal to our publisher, offering the rights for three sequels, including all Simpsons rights and voice actors, at the attractive price of zero dollars," McGinn explained (via GamesRadar). Despite this favorable arrangement, the sequel never materialized. "Some mysterious individual at the publisher [Vivendi Games]—whose identity remains unknown—vetoed the idea," McGinn added.

No further details were provided about this decision, leaving fans in the dark about the reasons behind it. The game reportedly sold up to 10 million units throughout its lifespan, suggesting a sequel could have been viable. However, numerous factors could have prevented its development.

Hit & Run is still fondly remembered and continues to be popular, partly due to the speedrunning community. "We never envisioned it would still bring joy to people two decades later," McGinn remarked. After releasing Hit & Run in 2003, Radical Entertainment went on to develop licensed titles like CSI: Miami for Ubisoft, Scarface: The World is Yours with Vivendi, and later original games Prototype and Prototype 2 with Activision. Their final project was supporting Bungie on the original Destiny.

With the recent surge in game remakes and re-releases, some speculate if Hit & Run might be next. While it's too early to tell, McGinn has expressed his enthusiasm for such a project. Both Radical and Vivendi Games have since closed, so any remake would likely involve a different developer and publisher. The ownership of The Simpsons video game rights remains unclear.

Electronic Arts published 2007's The Simpsons Game, based on the film, and the mobile title The Simpsons: Tapped Out in 2012, which was delisted in October and will end service in January. The TV series continues to air, but no announcements have been made regarding future video games. Hit & Run was Radical's second major Simpsons game, following 2001's Simpsons: Road Rage, which didn't achieve the same level of acclaim as Hit & Run.

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