Although it has some issues, The Simpsons Hit & Run has fallen like a classic since its release almost 20 years ago. The game was over GTA template and added the most dysfunctional family in the United States, creating a fun game that found a solid audience on PS2, Xbox and GameCube, selling over 3 million copies worldwide.
Despite the obvious desire for a remake or sequel – and the interest of co-showrunner Matt Selman – it doesn’t look like we’ll get a new installment soon (Selman says it’s a complicated corporate pop to try to make this happen “Apparently) That’s why modder Reubs decided to take matters into his own hands and recreate the game with Unreal Engine 5, with impressive results.
Using a tool created by another developer, Lucas Cardellini, Reubs exported the Springfield map from the original game to Unreal Engine and then used a combination of artificial intelligence and manual effort to add textures. He even went so far as to allow the tracing of rays and ripped the audio from the original so that the characters could speak. He then began programming all game elements, such as collectibles, finally assembling the initial segment of the original game into a playable demonstration.
It was such an impressive feat that Joe McGinn, who was the lead designer for The Simpsons Hit & Run, posted on Reubs ’YouTube account to say how much he loved the show:
Hi, I am the main designer of the original game. Amazing what you got! It really gives you an idea of what a complete, modern remaster might look like. Awesome work!
Unfortunately, it appears that Disney’s lawyers were contacted because Reubs has removed the demonstration from its site. However, the reaction of the general public could convince those responsible to pull some strings and have a remastering done, because of course there is a lot of demand.