The Simpsons Hit & Run turns 20 years old, fans are begging for a remake

Yes, you read that right - The Simpsons: Hit & Run is turning 20 years old this weekend. We're all getting old, our bones turning to dust. But as we reminisce about our shared childhood playing the kid-friendly GTA, this milestone also serves as a reminder that we still don't have any news about a Hit & Run remake - something that fans are eagerly waiting for, hoping to change that.

Any company that makes the mistake of commemorating the anniversary of The Simpsons: Hit & Run will immediately be met with demands for a remake. PlayStation is the prime example, as passionate fans are pleading with the studio to find a way to re-release the cult classic Simpsons game in some form. After all, the only legal way to play it is by dusting off one's PS2, GameCube, or original Xbox, despite there being such high demand for it to be released on modern platforms.

PlayStation UK commemorated the anniversary over the past weekend. Now the responses are filled with fans pleading with the studio to either invest in a remake or add the original to PlayStation Plus, fitting for a game that many of us extensively played on the PS2. Some poor souls even thought that the tweet itself was hinting at some kind of re-release, but unfortunately, nothing of that sort is being announced.

The fact that we've reached the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons: Hit & Run without having anything to show for it is quite discouraging - not to mention confusing. Although licensed games like this can often be caught up in copyright dilemmas, it's hard to imagine that the rights holders of The Simpsons couldn't bring a re-release of Hit & Run to fruition if they wanted to. However, at the moment, they seem more interested in shutting down fan remakes, to the point where one was developed but the creator is too afraid to release it, fearing the consequences.

However, if we do get a remake or remaster, we shouldn't expect it to be developed by the original studio. Radical Entertainment is now part of Activision Blizzard and has been functioning as a support studio in recent years, assisting other developers with their games rather than developing their own. However, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated has recently shown that rights holders are willing to entrust remake tasks to new studios, so it is certainly possible.

Nevertheless, the fact that the anniversary has come and gone without even a hint suggests that we won't be getting the remake anytime soon. Perhaps one day, someone will realize that it would likely be a financial success, given the existing ready and waiting fan base. We'll see each other again for the 40th anniversary, shall we?