If a game from the past had even a modicum of success, odds are if it hasn't been remastered already, there are plans in the pipeline for that to happen at some point. The Last Of Us is only nine years old and has already been both remastered and remade. However, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, a game that would likely pull huge numbers if it were ever remastered remains in the dark. Those who want to see it are relying on talented fans like reubs who recently made the almost-20-year-old game open world.
Most Simpsons games from that era were inspired by other popular titles at the time. Hit & Run was no different and was clearly a playful homage to Grand Theft Auto. However, Hit & Run was not open world. It was made up of three maps. Gaming has come a long way since its launch, allowing reubs to bring those maps together and make the iconic game fully open world.
You can see the beginning of the modder's journey in the video below, and they make progress pretty darn quickly. Even faster than they expected after utilizing a pre-made Hit & Run open world mod to get them started. Once the game's individual maps have been stitched together, reubs goes about making Hit & Run look less 2003 and more 2022.
Reubs alters the water, makes sure the signs aren't spinning in unison, and adds a whole bunch of trees to the game. If Pokemon Legends: Arceus has taught the industry anything, it's that gamers won't settle for a game having too few trees. Reubs also turns Springfield into one big island, which they acknowledge isn't true to the original game but it just makes a potential remaster easier.
As for why reubs is doing this, the modder quickly upscaled the game's first mission in a week last year and the video detailing their creation got four million views in two weeks. The lead designer of the original Hit & Run even commented on it. As for whether the game will officially be remastered, that seems unlikely. That's despite the massive call for it to get a remake or a sequel. A poll last year revealed it's the one game that hasn't already been remastered that players would love to see get the remaster treatment the most.