(Update 13/01/21: This article has been modified to more clearly express this Hit & Run mod was made by a single person, not a team.)
Modders have revealed a new project based around expanding one of the best games based on The Simpsons, namely 2003's The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Two years after Grand Theft Auto 3 changed gaming forever, the team at Radical Entertainment brought the open-world gameplay loop to the town of Springfield. Gamers on PlayStation 2 era consoles and PC could drive around Springfield as Homer, perform missions for his friends and neighbors, and run over hapless pedestrians while thinking about donuts. When compared to other releases based around the FOX sitcom, there was a notable step up in quality, and many gamers still ask about a modern HD rerelease today.
Other games released in the following years would attempt to employ a fully explorable Springfield as a gameplay hook. EA's The Simpsons Game was mostly a platformer that parodied video game tropes, but there was an open world to explore between levels as all four members of The Simpsons clan. However, outside of the novelty of walking around Moe's Tavern for a bit, there wasn't really much to do in that world, and the game's lack of music in these segments made it feel eerily unfinished. Homer Simpson was also a playable character in Lego Dimensions, which included a brick-built hub world based on Springfield that players could explore once they bought a Simpsons-related set at retail.
Other games have tried, but none have hit the nail on the head quite as hard as Hit & Run, which is why it's great to see modders enhancing and expanding the game. Modder Colou has unveiled the Fully Connected Map Mod, a new addon that seamlessly connects the three open-world areas of the game into one huge map. As seen in the release trailer, Colou has added transitional areas between the three regions that allow Homer to drive from one end of Springfield to the other without hitting a significant loading screen.
Colou is solely focused on modding The Simpsons: Hit & Run, so there are more updates ahead. Colou released a second trailer demonstrating their efforts towards a reworked campaign that takes advantage of this expanded map. The patch notes do reveal Colou has had to cut a few models from the game in order to make the map function, as the game was never designed to keep track of so much virtual space at one time. Fans of Groundskeeper Willie holding a pig can file a complaint directly on the mod's forums.
With today's options for The Simpsons-related gaming coming down to a mobile phone time-waster, it's great to see that The Simpsons: Hit & Run has inspired a community that wants to keep the game alive. Licensed games are often left behind in terms of games preservation simply due to the legal complication involved in keeping them available, and even revival efforts eventually succumb to those same issues. Until that kind of problem is resolved, it's only through modding communities that these games can really thrive in the same way that original properties can in the gaming space.
Source: Colou/Donut Team, YouTube