Copyright Self Censorship Denies Us Another Updated Version Of An Abandoned Game
And here we go again. We have been talking about both the concept of video game preservation being lost to the copyright gods, as well as how copyright often prevents fan-made creations and content around game franchises, for years and years now. Both topics are quite frustrating and both serve as examples of how copyright law and its modern application appear to be getting in the way of its stated purpose: the proliferation of content and culture.
But it's when these two topics converge that it gets unbelievably frustrating. And that brings us to a fan-made remake and enhanced version of a beloved old game: The Simpsons: Hit & Run. The original game came out in 2003 and was a fairly decent hit. Since then, the game has become completely abandoned, particularly when it comes to its PC version. I've looked in all the regular places and you cannot legally buy a new version of the PC game anywhere that I can find, be it on Steam, GOG, etc. The only place you can get a copy is on resale websites and for lofty amounts of money compared to its original sale price when new.
Reuben Ward was such a fan of the game that he endeavored on a years-long project to remake the game in an enhanced version within Unreal Engine 5. He also let the public follow along with his progression in a series of YouTube videos, the last of which is included below, where you can see his work and some of the enhancements he made to the game.
In a new video published toYouTube, Reubs declared the project complete.This latest version began life a year agoafter Reubs pulled an earlier version offline to avoid potential legal issues with Disney. That earlier version drew praise from Hit & Run lead designer Joe McGinn, who said at the time: Amazing what you accomplished! Really gives a taste of what a full modern remaster could be. Impressive work!"
Work that you'll never ever get a chance to play for yourself. Why? For the most obvious of reasons. Ward mentions in the video above that the game is never going to be made available to download. He did the entire thing as his own personal hobby. And the reason he's not going to make it downloadable is surely out of fear of any number of entities coming after him for copyright infringement.
It's a project fans would love to see released, but Reubs has said that will never happen. In a disclaimer included in a video from 2022, Reubs said: This is a fan remake for entertainment purposes, this game will never be available to download. Please do not pester my poor Discord mods for a download link!"
Calls for an official Simpsons: Hit and Run remake have cropped up from time to time in the 20 years since the original's release, but it seems an unlikely project.In 2021 we spoke to Simpsons writer Matt Selmanwho explained why we might not see a remake anytime soon. Selman said that while he would love to see aremastered version of [Simpsons Hit & Run], it would be a complicated corporate octopus to try to make that happen".
That's because the rights for the game are a complicated mess, somewhat akin to the whole No One Lives Forever fiasco. That same tangled rights mess is also likely why the game, despite calls for a remake or updated version for modern hardware, isn't happening either.
So, the end result? A beloved game appears to be abandoned by its creators, leaving it an open question as to whether that bit of culture slowly disappears forever with nobody preserving it. At the same time, a dedicated fan who rebuilt and enhanced the game as a labor of love is also denying that cultural output to the world out of fear of being sued into oblivion.
If someone can explain to me how copyright is serving its purpose in this instance, I'd love to hear it.