Radical Entertainment, the development studio behind popular GTA clone The Simpsons: Hit & Run, has been revived as New Radical Games. Released in 2003, The Simpsons: Hit & Run received a significant amount of acclaim when compared to other licensed games, solidifying it as a cult classic among fans.
Few games have managed to match the way The Simpsons: Hit & Run successfully parodied Grand Theft Auto’s formula. Released just two years after the breakout success of Grand Theft Auto 3, Hit & Run was well received by both critics and fans, who praised its ability to bring the iconic charm of The Simpsons to life and capture some of the magic achieved by Rockstar’s influential title. The game also features one of the most fully realized versions of the iconic family’s hometown of Springfield, allowing long-time fans of the show to finally explore the famous city and its most recognizable locations.
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Simpsons: Hit & Run Developer Radical Entertainment Is Returning as New Radical Games
Radical Entertainment, the developer behind The Simpsons: Hit & Run and other cult classic titles, has announced its return as New Radical Games. The new studio’s website lists Ian Wilkinson, one of Radical Entertainment’s co-founders, as the CEO of New Radical Games. Following his tenure with the original Radical, Wilkinson became president of developer Hothead Games, a studio that primarily developed mobile titles. New Radical Games appears to be a merger of Radical Entertainment and Hothead, with titles from both prior development studios listed on New Radical’s website. New Radical also names Capcom veteran Tim Bennison as its COO. Bennison worked with Wilkinson and Radical Entertainment for years, serving as an Executive Producer and VP with the company. He also lists credits for his VFX work in films from major studios such as Marvel and Disney.
Along with The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Radical Entertainment was most well known for developing the Prototype games. The popular series of dark superhero titles has long been revered by fans, with rumors of a third Prototype game circulating as recently as late 2025. The games featured mechanics that were first developed in Radical’s previous superhero title, the well-received Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Radical’s credits also include the hit crime drama Scarface: The World is Yours, which told an alternate version of the film’s events, as well as a handful of Crash Bandicoot titles such as Crash Tag Team Racing and Crash of the Titans. Hothead Games has a host of mobile titles to its credit, with the largest being the mobile port of acclaimed strategy title Civilization 6.
New Radical Games’ website lists itself as available for hire, offering to work on both console games, mobile titles, and VFX development. The studio also supports co-development, remasters, ports, and offers to provide smaller team assistance on “optimization, liveops, design tuning services and more.” The versatile background of its staff members and their history with everything from mobile titles to major licensed releases should bring the studio its share of opportunities, whether developing new and original games or assisting with big-budget titles, as games continue to rapidly expand in scope.
Radical Entertainment’s impressive history includes licensed titles that have regularly surpassed players’ expectations, from its efforts in bringing Scarface back to life to its adventures with Homer Simpson. The Prototype franchise also stands as one of the earliest titles to truly crack the code on making entertaining open world superhero games, with a uniquely dark narrative and extremely engaging abilities. Whether New Radical Games is able to return to some of its former titles or create something original, fans should be excited to see the studio return.
- Released
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September 16, 2003
- ESRB
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3+
- Developer(s)
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Radical Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
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Radical Entertainment
- Engine
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unreal engine 5
Source: VGC
