The Simpsons Hit & Run Gets Eye-Catching Futurama Mod — And Even The Original Game’s Lead Designer is Impressed

An impressive new mod for The Simpsons Hit & Run has rebuilt the game to instead feature Futurama, catching the attention of the cult classic’s original lead designer.

Futurama Hit & Run, as the mod is called, is available now in demo form as a free download — you’ll just need a copy of the original Simpsons game on PC in order to play.

The Simpsons Hit & Run originally launched for PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox back in 2003, and was heavily inspired by the Grand Theft Auto games of the era. Gameplay for this Futurama mod also feels familiar, as you run around as Fry and complete missions for characters such as Bender, Professor Farnsworth and Dr. Zoidberg.

https://twitter.com/lycheemoona/status/1979533450718716390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

There’s driving too, of course — with Fry able to zoom around a section of New New York in a hover car. One particular mission has Fry escorting Bender back to the Planet Express headquarters while avoiding police in hover cop cars. But there’s no sign yet of actual flying — perhaps in future.

Currently, the demo includes four story missions, plus a set of street races, vehicles, costumes and other Easter eggs to find and unlock. The demo also comes with an acknowledgement that it currently uses AI-generated dialogue as a “temporary placeholder.” The mod team states: “Professional voice artists are already engaged, and their recordings will replace the placeholder content in a future update.”

Response to the demo has been positive, not least from Joe McGinn, who worked on the original The Simpsons: Hit & Run over two decades ago. “As the lead designer of the original game, I can only say… this looks awesome!” McGinn wrote in a comment on the mod’s trailer. “I want to play it.”

Fans have long hoped for another Simpsons game, and previously cheered on a separate unofficial Hit & Run project that looked set to remake the entire title in Unreal Engine 5. Alas, that idea ran into legal issues with Disney, and its creator has now said the finished version will never be released.

Still, there may well be something new and official for The Simpsons fans to play in the not-too-distant future, as the franchise’s long-awaited Fortnite mini-season now finally appears to be near.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social