Matt Groening Says The Simpsons: Hit & Run "Is Coming Back in Some Form" — Then the Showrunner Says "Or Not"

Matt Groening told a D23 panel audience on 15 August 2026 that The Simpsons: Hit & Run, the beloved 2003 Grand Theft Auto-style spin-off, "is coming back in some form."

Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman immediately replied "...or not," attempting to walk the comment back, according to Eurogamer, which credits PushSquare as the source of the quote.

So what is actually happening? As of August 2026, a return of Hit & Run has not been officially confirmed or announced by any party, Nintendo Life reported. Groening's tease at Disney's fan event remains just that — a tease from the creator of the franchise, swiftly undercut by the person running its day-to-day production.

The game itself needs little introduction to anyone who owned a console in 2003. Hit & Run let players drive, run and cause chaos across a compact Springfield, borrowing the open-world mission structure of GTA but swapping crime drama for cartoon satire. It was developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi, and it became one of the most fondly remembered licensed games of its era.

Behind the scenes, there is more than nostalgia fueling speculation. Radical Entertainment has rebranded as New Radical Games, a studio focused on remastering classic titles — and its website prominently features Hit & Run, Eurogamer reported.

A rumour has been circulating since June 2026, when PushSquare reported that an insider hinted a Hit & Run remaster "is happening," reportedly in development at a studio called Vision. That claim rested on an unnamed source and was never corroborated by an official announcement.

There is also a history of near-misses. Producer John Melchior said in a 2023 interview that Radical Entertainment had begun work on Hit & Run 2 and a medieval-themed Simpsons game pitched by Groening himself, before publisher Vivendi turned down a deal for five more Simpsons titles. Those projects never shipped.

Selman, for his part, has been cautiously open before. He previously said "never say never" to a possible remake or revival of the game. His "...or not" at D23 lands in the same register — neither a denial nor a confirmation, just a reminder that nothing is signed.

For fans who have spent more than two decades waiting to revisit Springfield's roads, Groening's words are the closest thing to a signal from the top. Whether they lead anywhere remains, characteristically for The Simpsons, a matter of who gets the last word.