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The last Simpsons game released 8 years ago!

Stalker

Stalker

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
6,733
I find this absolutely wild, I know the IP isn't the hot stuff it once was but man 8 years without a game.

Nothing has even came close to Hit and Run and Donut team are doing an amazing job keeping some level of support and mod community together for that game but a current day Hit and Run 2 seems like it would print money. The game has a tonne of good will and it's been a long time.



Hell at this point I'd even take a Total Conversion for GTA or something.
 
DeckardWintermute

DeckardWintermute

Member
Aug 27, 2018
2,779
Things I remember: People being excited that Simpsons people would be at E3.

Things I don't remember: Why they were even there.
 
Mars People

Mars People

Comics Council 2020
Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,197
Every so often I remember that the Simpsons is still on the air and that's insane.
 
Lampa

Lampa

Member
Feb 13, 2018
3,587
In current year, I would say it's a franchise better suited for mobile. Tapped Out must be making EA enough to keep supporting for 8 years. I even played it sometime after it came out, it wasn't actually bad, shame my progress got wiped.
 
JustinH

JustinH

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,399
Wow @ that GTA 5 mod. Kinda makes me wanna reinstall GTA 5 (for probably like 15 minutes lol).

I bought the 360 game but I never got that far into it. Maybe I just didn't give it enough time. I'd probably play it more if they made it BC so I wouldn't have to rehook my 360 up to play it.
I play the Arcade Game more on my 360, lol (and as much as I loved it, it gets old fast).

I've been thinking about looking for my old copy of Hit and Run after Gamesack's recent Simpsons' game episode. I wanna play it on Dolphin, but I'm not sure if I have my disc here. It's probably in some tiny Gamecube disc binder thingy somewhere at my parents' house. I just need to remember to look for it next time I go there.
 

Deleted member 1659

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,191
Who is the Simpsons still relevant for?

Gen-X is turning 50. I can't imagine there are a lot of them still gaming at this point.

Most millenials have moved on from the Simpsons as the show has declined in quality.

Gen-Z doesn't care about it.
 

Deleted member 49611

Nov 14, 2018
5,052
it's just not popular anymore to warrant a game.
 
The Masked Mufti

The Masked Mufti

The Wise Ones
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
3,989
Scotland
DGP said:
Who is the Simpsons still relevant for?

Gen-X is turning 50. I can't imagine there are a lot of them still gaming at this point.

Most millenials have moved on from the Simpsons as the show has declined in quality.

Gen-Z doesn't care about it.
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This. The goodwill Hit and Run has is with gamers in their mid 20s onwards. It's nowhere near as popular with younger audiences as it was 15 years ago.
 
skeezx

skeezx

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,172
DGP said:
Who is the Simpsons still relevant for?

Gen-X is turning 50. I can't imagine there are a lot of them still gaming at this point.

Most millenials have moved on from the Simpsons as the show has declined in quality.

Gen-Z doesn't care about it.
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well... show still has an audience apparently. though who it particularly is, i couldn't tell you

the 2007 movie was released well out of its prime and was quite a hit (granted that was well over a decade ago itself)
 
Infinity Times Two

Infinity Times Two

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,105
Sweden
The_Simpsons_Road_Rage.jpg


NGL, I thought this game was fun at the time.
 
Chaserjoey

Chaserjoey

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,632
The most recent episode of the Simpsons was watched by nearly 4 million people. The show does dip low with a lot of episodes floating just about 1.5 million viewers but this season and last season has a handful of episodes that reached between 3-5 million each. Their Christmas episode in the 30th season was viewed by over 7.5 million people too. It's still a popularly watched show, with more viewers than other Fox shows like Bob's Burgers.

Throw Disney's money behind it with how it's been a constant push on Disney+ (the banner hasn't been removed from the top of the app in over a year) and I reckon a new game would sell. I think a big problem is getting EA to dedicate resources and a team to making a new game. I mean, you'd think a Hit and Run remaster / remake would print easy money 🤷‍♂️.

I'd even take a remaster of The Simpsons Game.
 
Dennie Dee

Dennie Dee

Member
Oct 26, 2017
916
Bruges, Belgium
Yeah, tby now the show has had more bad seasons than good ones. I don't see how a game would be a interesting product when the sitcom itself has long overstayed it's welcome.

Who holds the license? EA still?
 
Teepo671

Teepo671

Member
Nov 1, 2017
2,709
Guam
Does EA still have the license?
If so I'm kind of surprised they never released a remastered Simpsons Video Game for the 8th gen. I remember enjoying that game a lot when I played through it back on the 360.
 
spman2099

spman2099

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,893
I mean, the last good Simpsons episode released twenty-one years ago, so that doesn't seem too crazy to me.
 
BrickArts295

BrickArts295

GOTY Tracking Thread Master
Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,772
There's a possibility EA still holds the license (which would explain the lack of games).
Activision (Vivendi/Radical) has the rights of Hit and Run so we can pretty much forget about a remaster if EA still holds the rights (they do have the rights to Road Rage though).
 
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PandemicOdin

PandemicOdin

Member
Oct 31, 2020
249
I don't think a full $70 Simpsons game would sell, but could a $30-40 one sell? Games have evolved so much that the only way to release something like this would have to be an Indie style game OR they go with a "South Park RPG-like" game. I am a little surprised that there isn't like a 2-D Simpsons game of some sort even if the "AA" space has kind of died. Maybe even a 2-D platformer or something
 
Chaserjoey

Chaserjoey

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,632
I liked the CG art direction of their Toy Story parody segment of the latest Treehouse of Horror. If they ever decided to make a modern Simpsons game on consoles then I'd hope it'd look like that.

 
Arta

Arta

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,445
A Family Guy game would be played out at this point, let alone The Simpsons.
 
Teenage Fansub

Teenage Fansub

Member
May 24, 2019
22,199
I dunno if they'd do any more big multi-media moves after the movie. I bet it's just going to happily putter along as a TV/D+ show with occasional mobile idle games and clothing brand collaborations.
 
Another

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
spman2099 said:
I mean, the last good Simpsons episode released twenty-one years ago, so that doesn't seem too crazy to me.
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This is silly.
While it is true the show never really ever recaptured or matched the unparalleled excellence they demonstrated in seasons 3~7 and it is also most definitely true that there was a definite and noticeable dip in quality starting in season 9 and lasting until season 12, it is nonetheless undeniable that seasons 13~15 were a most welcome return to form and alongside with seasons 2 and 8 represent the best we've seen from the show outside of the glorious 3~7 period.
And hell, I'd personally say 15 is the best out of all the B tier Simpson seasons (15>2>8>14>>13>10>>>9) so I'd even go so far as to argue that the Simpsons was significantly better 16 years ago than it was 21~22 years ago.
 
spman2099

spman2099

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,893
Another said:
This is silly.
While it is true the show never really ever recaptured or matched the unparalleled excellence they demonstrated in seasons 3~7 and it is also most definitely true that there was a definite and noticeable dip in quality starting in season 9 and lasting until season 12, it is nonetheless undeniable that seasons 13~15 were a most welcome return to form and alongside with seasons 2 and 8 represent the best we've seen from the show outside of the glorious 3~7 period.
And hell, I'd personally say 15 is the best out of all the B tier Simpson seasons (15>2>8>14>>13>10>>>9) so I'd even go so far as to argue that the Simpsons was significantly better 16 years ago than it was 21~22 years ago.
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I mean, I am just having a little fun. I apologize if I poked the bear. That being said, I have tried to watch a few episodes of the Simpsons every year (though I am a few years behind at this point), just to see if they could rekindle any of that lost glory, and I am always devastated by how much I hate them. I was still watching the Simpsons when season 15 rolled around. That was when I had fully come to terms with what it had become. 15 is, in my opinion, not a good season. You can go back and watch season 12 and still find a few laughs there. Season 15... Well, let's agree to disagree.

As a mea culpa, tell me what you think the best episode of season 15 is and I will watch it with an open heart and an open mind.

Rygar 8Bit said:
Such a shame to sit on the license. Just give me a Simcity Springfield.
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That's... not a bad idea.
 
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Dizzy Ukulele

Dizzy Ukulele

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,013
For the sake of tradition (and a Disney+ subscription) I watched the latest Christmas episode and it felt very much like a show that ran out of steam 20 years ago but has been allowed to continue uninterrupted.

I'm surprised we haven't had a Lego Simpsons game, though.
 
Another

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
spman2099 said:
I mean, I am just having a little fun. I apologize if I poked the bear. That being said, I have tried to watch a few episodes of the Simpsons every year (though I am a few years behind at this point), just to see if they could rekindle any of that lost glory, and I am always devastated by how much I hate them. I was still watching the Simpsons when season 15 rolled around. That was when I had fully come to terms with what it had become. 15 is, in my opinion, not a good season. You can go back and watch season 12 and still find a few laughs there. Season 15... Well, let's agree to disagree.

As a mea culpa, tell me what you think the best episode of season 15 is and I will watch it with an open heart and an open mind.
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Don't worry, I know your comment was just made in jest, I just replied as I felt a need for clarification since this "Simpsons ended at Season 10" mentality is way too pervasive, considering. That you chose to single out season 12 is what's bothering me most about all this, though... it is by far the worst Simpsons season that we got before the show started it's steep decline into mind numbing mediocrity (for context, I've been a huge fan since 93~94 and I rewatch 2~15 every 4 years or so during lazy stay-at-home stoned-sundays but skipped 11 and 12 the last couple rewatches since they're so subpar imo, comparitively) in seasons 16~19. By the time Season 20~21 rolled around it had just became insufferably bland to the point where even a hardcore fan like myself bailed out by the the end of S21.

As for best episodes in S15... hmm... personally it's probably the Evita one (President Wore Pearls), but it's hard to choose between that, Regina Monologues, Simple Simpson, I (Annoyed Grunt)-bot or Threehouse of Horror. It's a very solid season filled with good ones, imo.
 
Aaron

Aaron

I’m seeing double here!
Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,077
Minneapolis
skeezx said:
simpsons was considered the world's most controversial "adult" show at a time. i dunno if the world ever really moved on from that
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I dunno, Disney+ blares it from the mountaintops and everything on that service is family-friendly by design. I think the edge has softened just because the things that used to upset people about the show (e.g. Bart calling Homer by his first name instead of "Dad") just aren't that big of a deal anymore, especially when you put it up next to something like Family Guy or South Park. The show's even gone through the full cycle where if anything, people are picking apart its racial stereotypes that it very awkwardly defends itself from - it's become old hat.

The biggest things I think a Lego Simpsons game would just need to avoid is any cursing (easy, it's barely noticeable in the show) and overt references to drinking (so no/limited Moe's and Barney), and it'd go over fine.
 
Luke88

Luke88

One Winged Slayer
Member
Dec 29, 2018
2,560
Italy
Personally, I'm a fan of The Simpsons Game, it had some good ideas and was very enjoyable for the humor and whatnot. I've not experienced Hit & Run but I think in this day and age for a new game following Game would be easier than Hit & Run in terms of budget and sales expectations.
 
PyroPaperPlanes

PyroPaperPlanes

Member
Nov 1, 2017
3,070
The Simpsons: Tapped Out is still bringing in the money last I heard. There's not enough of a reason for EA to risk budgeting a AAA Simpsons game today.

While a remaster of some of the older Simpsons games would be wicked, it would require the permission of whoever published those games (Activision in this case, for Road Rage and Hit & Run).

EA has also been one of the most reluctant studios to remaster their games this generation, until recently that is. The Simpsons Game is probably the closest shot we have at seeing a remaster, seeing how that game was actually published by EA. If I'm not mistaken, the Wii and HD versions are different from each other? That might be another complication that discourages them from tackling the project.
 
Floex

Floex

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,758
DGP said:
Who is the Simpsons still relevant for?

Gen-X is turning 50. I can't imagine there are a lot of them still gaming at this point.

Most millenials have moved on from the Simpsons as the show has declined in quality.

Gen-Z doesn't care about it.
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Click to shrink...

Excellent question. I would love to know who's still watching it in the regular and question just why?
 
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