After the first four years of its Fall release in 2003 across GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and PC, The Simpsons Hit & Run had sold roughly over 3 million copies. For a licensed Simpsons game, this is nothing to sneeze at. The game was well received among critics and fans alike. Currently on metacritic, it stands at an average of 80/100 by media outlets across all platforms and an average of 8.5/10 by players. This is the highest reviewed average for any Simpsons game ever. To this day, the game has a vibrant modding community on PC and high demand for a sequel or remake, even inspiring an unofficial finished remake by youtube user and remake artist @reubs (http://www.youtube.com/@reubs).

The next console release, 2007’s The Simpsons Game would go on to sell about 4 million copies. Other than the game being received generally well, a lot of those sales could be owed to not only the good faith of Hit & Run as the previous console installment among consumers, but the rise in mindshare The Simpsons was receiving that year. The game’s release was coming hot off the summer blockbuster debut of The Simpsons Movie which garnered $536.4 million in the box office overall, including an additional $97 million in physical media sales. Fans have been treated with canonical references like in season 19’s premiere intro featuring the town’s clean-up of the shattered dome’s aftermath, as well as meta references like Marge’s proclamation, “No more Simpsons movies! One was plenty,” from “Any Given Sundance”. SpiderPig has made many brief cameos in episodes including “He Loves to Fly and He D’ohs”, “Treehouse of Horror XVIII”, and “Apocalypse Cow”. Even Boob Lady has appeared in season 21’s “Boy Meets Curl”. So while The Simpsons Movie has been been referenced multiple times in the series and treated as canon, why hasn’t The Simpsons Hit & Run, or really any of the games for that matter?

*CORRECTION: Before continuing, it’s important to note that The Simpsons Tapped Out (2012) has been referenced at least 6 times with quick visual gags on the show. Thank you nohomers.net user Frankbags for directing me to this imdb link which lists each episode where they can be found. Tapped Out was an ongoing mobile game for close to a decade, intended to tie into certain updates in the show as you played, so this would be the obvious exception to the query of this article considering the prolonged relevance between both the show and the mobile game for that span of time.*

My first guess as to why past console games have never been acknowledged on the show is how the medium of video games can be seen as niche in comparison to film and television. However, the games industry is more thriving than the music and film industry combined according to SuperData research as stated from a 2023 gamerhub article. In the 20 years since the games’ release, video games have continued to prove fascinating in its innovation to tell stories, exceed in an extensive variety of entertainment value with audiences, and distinguish itself as an interactive art form. Sure, hardware capabilities in 2003 were limited when compared with what AAA studios can accomplish today. Simpsons writers like Rob LaZebnik and J. Stewart Burns have attested to how much they’ve enjoyed completing Red Dead Redemption 2 when interviewed at a panel discussion in E3 2019 so surely they understand this too. While I’d argue The Simpsons Hit & Run holds up incredibly well as a game overall, its graphics are a little rough compared to what is possible for the IP today and possibly left something to be desired from the artists at the time when translating it from the visual quality of the show. That said, while film and television have been established longer than the conception of video games, each medium had to evolve. The Simpsons Hit & Run is a product of its medium’s evolutional history and that’s something to be proud of and celebrated.

It’s true that The Simpsons Movie took the summer of 2007 by storm even in the marketing lead-up to the film’s release. Put a reference of the movie in the show and viewers are more than likely to recognize it. Maybe the overlap in the Venn diagram for people who watched the series and the movie are greater in ratio when compared to the overlap of those who watched the series and played the games. Even so, time has proven how beloved Hit & Run is and subjectivity aside, it’s as highly regarded in Simpsons’ fans circles as the movie, if not more. What’s great about The Simpsons is how in the span of 22 minutes, the historical, pop culture, or political references can range from super broad and well-known to the obscurest of obscure so whether the audience gets it or not shouldn’t be an issue. Now that the show is animated in HD, even the briefest visual easter egg can suffice. I’ve watched every episode to date and have yet to recall any Simpsons game (beyond Tapped Out) or even a Bongo comics reference. Commercial references have existed like nods to Simpsons T-shirts (Season 2’s “Dancin’ Homer”) or Butterfinger (season 14’s “Barting Over”) and even the “Do the Bartman” music video was referenced in season 9’s “Simpson Tide”. The closest a game came to being referenced was a season 15 DVD menu where the logo to Hit & Run can be found:

Beyond the hard work from Radical Entertainment’s dev team and the critical acclaim the game has received, it’s also noteworthy how rare it is for a body of work outside the show to exist that included hours upon hours of voice recordings from the entire cast and is also written by Simpsons writers themselves: Matt Warburton, Tim Long and current co-showrunner Matt Selman. Is it necessary to reference the game in the show? No. But wouldn’t it be fun as all hell if it did! The game is essentially a long-form Treehouse of Horror episode as each level counts as a day leading up to Halloween. Could it be possible for a segment in a future Halloween episode to tie into the events of the game? The show in its recent seasons has been more flexible and experimental with its non-canon stories (“Thanksgiving of Horror”, “A Serious Flanders”, “Lisa the Boy Scout”, etc.) so even a one-off televised adaptation of The Simpsons Hit & Run would be welcome (or a sequel story! or a spin-off! or a spiritual successor!). Matt Selman has gone on record in a 2021 interview with IGN “I would love to see a remastered version of The Simpsons Hit & Run, I would. It’s a complicated corporate octopus to try to make that happen.” My response to that would be, “Have fun with what you can control”. If a game remake or sequel is difficult to make possible from the powers that be, then perhaps you can use the powers you have on the show and the creativity of the writer’s room to have fun with the spirit of the game’s universe. Unless there’s some weird license agreement issue, what’s the harm?

What’s interesting is Matt Selman has come the closest already to writing an episode that captures the spirit of The Simpsons Road Rage and The Simpsons Hit & Run with season 12’s “Trilogy of Error”, produced during Mike Scully’s time as showrunner. This fan-favorite “post-classic” aired between the release of both games so it shares the same tone, characterization, and style of humor that you would come to expect. On top of that, it features multiple protagonists (three compared to the game’s playable five) where Homer, Lisa, and Bart have their own missions. Like the gameplay, they’re pressed for time as they take a tour de force around Springfield. Homer must get to a hospital quick to reattach his severed thumb, Lisa must get to school in time for her science fair presentation, and Bart attempts to avoid the cops and the mob when mixed up with illegal fireworks.

“Video games are so late 90s…Illegal fireworks are all the rave now.” – Kearney, The Simpsons Hit & Run

Along the way, characters steal vehicles or get offered rides from the townspeople and you get the same snappy dialogue and character interactions. Seriously if you ever rewatch this episode, close your eyes and imagine each quest line as a mission in either of these games and it’s uncanny to the point where you wonder if the games developed around the same time gave any inspiration to the show or vice versa. Alright fine, I’ll do the nerding out for you:

Homer’s missions:

• Keep up with Santa’s Little Helper to retrieve severed thumb.
• Return to Marge and take the Family Sedan to the hospital.
• Escape from McBain and steal his car when he’s distracted.
• Drive to Dr. Hibbert.
• A thumb is not a finger therefore your finger insurance doesn’t cover Homer’s injury. Drive to Dr. Nick.
• But first drive to Moe’s to get ice.
• Marge disappeared. See Cletus and drive to Dr. Nick’s.
• Dr. Nick’s practice is on fire! To be continued…

Lisa’s missions:

• Run to school and find a ride if possible.
• Talk to Krusty. Have Mr. Teeny drive Krusty’s Limo to Springfield Elementary.
• Don’t alert the cops who are on their way to 123 Fake St.
• Uh-oh! Mr. Teeny drove you to West Springfield Elementary. Talk to Thelonius.
• Frolic with Thelonius for a bit and run to Moe’s to see if Homer is available to offer a ride.
• Talk to Chief Wiggum and exit Moe’s.
• Marge is parked out front with McBain’s car. Talk to her and ask for a ride.
• Uh-oh! McBain’s car has run out of gas. Hop on the back of Cletus’ truck and steal it when he arrives at Dr. Nick’s.
• Drive to school but look out for Bart! Follow Bart , Milhouse, and Fat Tony to the alley.

Bart’s missions:

• Talk to Milhouse. Sounds like he has big news.
• Go to your bike and steal Lisa’s for Milhouse to ride.
• Ride to the secret cave where Milhouse goes to cry.
• Obtain illegal fireworks and go to various spots in town to cause havoc.
• You’re wanted! Avoid Chief Wiggum and run to 123 Fake St.
• Cutscene. You’ve been caught. Talk to Chief Wiggum at the booth in Moe’s.
• You’re now wearing a wire. Return to the secret cave.
• Talk to Fat Tony.
• You’ve been made. Run! Climb up the ladder and head towards the alley…

The episode also features guest stars Joe Mantegna (helps carry the mob motif of the Grand Theft Auto games which Hit & Run takes inspiration from) and Frankie Muniz who’s no stranger to racing cars himself and has now begun a career in the ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America).

Also hey, if one of the first things in Hit & Run you can do is kick Marge, then surely it’s a good trade-off that one of the first things she does in “Trilogy of Error” is cut off Homer’s thumb. Right?

Finally, let’s note that The Simpsons writers have spoofed and incorporated video game material in their plots many times in the past. Some of the best coming from “Marge Be Not Proud”, “Marge Gamer”, “E My Sports”, The Food Wife”, and “The Game Done Changed”. If you purchase the season 13 DVD/blu-ray, you can watch a cool featurette showcasing all of the past Simpsons games. The writers are certainly fans of games and this article’s purpose is simply to remind them that they’ve earned the right to pat themselves on the back for the games they’s helped create including The Simpsons Tapped Out, which while fun and addicting, is unfortunately their most recent offering. One of the best things these games do is provide a treasure trove of references to the show. The show doesn’t need to shy away from returning the favor. Regardless, I truly believe Matt Selman, Al Jean, and the team have been doing a bang-up job in recent seasons to the point where The Simpsons has returned to being my favorite comedy to return to every week. As long as they can keep that up, that’s all I can ask from them. In the meantime, I’m grateful many of these games exist to begin with.

Amidst the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, hopefully studios can stop being cartoonishly greedy and meet the demands of the writers and actors befitting to television’s present business model and be paid the fair wages they rightfully deserve. UPDATE: They did.

Thanks for reading!