Simpsons Hit & Run Remake Teased by Matt Groening at D23

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has teased that the beloved 2003 classic The Simpsons: Hit & Run is "coming back in some form," bringing a sudden jolt of adrenaline to a fandom that has spent twenty years parked in the driveway. Groening dropped the hint during a panel at Disney's D23 event, instantly reviving hope for the most celebrated Springfield simulator in gaming history.

The tease, however, had the shelf life of open milk. Groening was immediately interrupted and contradicted on stage by showrunner Matt Selman, according to onlookers at the event. It was a classic good-cop-bad-cop routine, except both players seemed to be reading from entirely different scripts.

For those who missed the early 2000s, Hit & Run was essentially Grand Theft Auto with fewer federal crimes and more donut jokes. It launched in 2003 on the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, quickly cementing itself as a cult classic. Since then, rumors of a remaster have popped up with the regularity of a seasonal allergy, but actual progress has remained elusive.

The details

• Original release: 2003
• Original platforms: PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
• The tease: Matt Groening stated the game is "coming back in some form"
• The pushback: Showrunner Matt Selman immediately shut down the claim on stage

Mixed signals on stage

Getting a straight answer on legacy game remakes is always tricky, but watching the creative leadership of a massive franchise disagree in real-time is a different kind of spectacle. Groening’s comment was less a formal announcement and more a casual grenade tossed into the crowd, which Selman had to quickly dive on.

Speculation about a return has been bubbling under the surface for months. Back in June, VGC's Jordan Middler hinted at a potential remake project, which set the internet’s rumor mill spinning. Groening's slip of the tongue—if it was one—seemed to validate those whispers, even if the subsequent stage intervention put the brakes on.

A long road from 2003

The original Hit & Run captured a very specific moment in gaming history, translating the chaotic energy of yellow Springfield into a fully open-world driving game. Over the last two decades, fans have kept the dream alive with unofficial PC mods, custom remakes in modern engines, and endless petitions.

A project like this involves navigating a labyrinth of licensing, original source code recovery, and corporate sign-offs. It is the video game equivalent of trying to renew a passport at a government office during a holiday weekend—the kind of project that requires everyone to be on the exact same page before a single line of code is written.

Why it matters

The Simpsons: Hit & Run remains one of the most requested remasters of its era. Groening's brief comment shows that even the franchise's top tier is aware of the lingering demand, but Selman's quick contradiction suggests that whatever might be happening behind the scenes, it is far from a done deal. For now, fans are left holding a yellow ticket with no date on it.