The Simpsons’ team isn’t content with their 36-year run of television dominance. They want more. This summer, a string of Disney+ exclusive shorts will see them take over streaming with the help of Laufey, Tegan & Sara and a Black Mirror parody while a sequel to the record-breaking 2007 movie is heading to cinemas next September.
They’re also looking to reclaim ground in the world of video games after a decade without a new release. Last year’s collaboration with online shooter Fortnite saw more than 80million people racking up 780million hours of playtime in just 30 days and last month, The Simpsons arrived in Monopoly Go!
READ MORE: Laufey on her unexpected ‘Fortnite’ collab, Coachella and the joy of proving people wrong
More than 10million people log into the free-to-play mobile title every day where the goal, just like in the classic board game, is to earn as much money as possible. This handheld take on Monopoly features limited-time events, quirky mini-games and the chance to plunder your friends’ wallet. Is there a better match than a show about family conflict and a game which has caused plenty?
“I didn’t know that I was a competitive person until I played this,” says Matt Selman, The Simpsons writer and co-showrunner.
Building on the foundations of Monopoly Go!, the goal for crossover was to offer something “funny and subversive” for both the typical Go! player as well as Simpsons nerds. “Some people have a very casual relationship with the show, some people watch every single episode. We have fans that are six years old. Others have been watching for nearly 40 years,” says Selman, describing The Simpsons as a coat of yellow paint around the world. “It’s like The Golden Gate Bridge though, you never stop repainting it,” he continues. “We’re helping Monopoly Go! seem silly and Simpsons-y. They’re reminding people that the show is still on.”
It was the same with last year’s Fortnite event, which ended up being so popular that the blockbuster game. “Every time we break a giant server farm’s computing technology, I take that as a sign of success.”
The Simpsons x ‘Fortnite’. CREDIT: Epic Games
Of course, Fortnite and Monopoly Go! aren’t the first time The Simpsons have gatecrashed the world of video games. As well as the beloved season seven episode ‘Marge Be Not Proud’ (which sees Bart get caught shoplifting ultra-violent fighting game Bonestorm), the ‘90s were full of brilliant, bizarre Simpsons games. Three different 2D side-scrolling platforming games featuring Bart were released in 1991 and another four followed the next year. Gladiators parody Bart Vs. The Juggernauts and Bart Vs. The Space Mutants, which saw the pre-teen tearaway out to save the world from an alien invasion, were among the best.
The early noughties were just as busy with The Simpsons Wrestling, Crazy Taxi rip-off Road Rage and cult classic Hit & Run launching between 2001 and 2003. “Hit & Run was our version of Grand Theft Auto 3, which had just come out. But it went on to become something so much more,” says Selman. “It still has a huge, powerful fanbase. I love that game but I don’t know why it became such a thing.” For more than a decade, there have been constant rumours about a remake or a sequel. Is it happening? “I want you to quote me on this,” says Selman. “Long sigh. I don’t know.”
The Simpsons Hit & Run (Credit: Radical Entertainment)
The Simpsons Game came in 2007, playfully mocking the entire video game industry with Homer, Marge and the rest of the family out to save their 8-bit selves from EA boss Will Wright and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. “The gameplay is ok but that story is really funny,” says Selman, who helped write it. “It was a satire about how games are continually evolving and becoming obsolete. At the end of it, Matt Groening throws money at you. He wasn’t thrilled, but he did laugh about it.”
“It’s the job of The Simpsons to satirise the trends of the world,” says Selman, so in 2012, they launched mobile game Tapped Out. It was designed as a quick knock-off of the popular Smurf’s Village farm game but thanks to the strength of the writing, it went on to earn more than $100million in its first 18 months. “It was meant to be a parody of this thing, but it went on to become a billion times more popular. I wrote a great speech for the game about how ‘the ultimate freemium slash premium currency is your time on this planet, so think about how you spend it wisely.’ I stand by that statement.”
But after ten years of constant updates, the game was closed down last year despite a passionate playerbase still logging on every day. “There was so much great writing in Tapped Out and I don’t even know if that exists anywhere,” says Selman. “I would love to see it brought back in some fashion but I don’t know how. It’s another ‘long sigh, I don’t know’.”
‘The Simpsons’ x ‘Monopoly Go!’ CREDIT: Scopely
He sees the collaborations with Fortnite and Monopoly Go! as the next generation of The Simpsons games, rather than a way to gauge demand ahead of an original title. “The whole video game industry seems like it’s in trouble at the moment, so to spend three years trying to do a console [Simpsons] game and then finding out that was a bad idea, no one wants to do that,” he explains. “I like it when someone else does most of the work like [Monopoly Go! creators] Scopely, so if anyone’s interested…”
It’s important that they’re never phoning it in though. “We’re one of the most-streamed shows on Disney+, and we want to keep it that way,” says Selman. A new generation discovered the loveable goofballs of Springfield when the show arrived on the streamer in 2019 and these gaming collabs continue to “create a bridge” between different forms of entertainment and the series. “It needs to be a rewarding fan experience, and not just about the money though,” he explains. “Honestly, I don’t really know how the money works but I assume there is some.”
The Simpsons still prides itself on being subversive but it avoids dealing with things such as Donald Trump’s presidency. “Just watch South Park,” says Selman when asked about it. “It’s hard for us with our lead time [because episodes are written months in advance] but they can respond to the crisis of the day.”
“I feel like the shows are complimentary,” he continues, with both animated series premiering in the ’90s. “We tell stories about a family in the modern world, so we’ll show how politics affects them. We’re not backing away from what’s going on by any means. It’s a big deal to show how our divided country affects real people. But we do it in a macro way, whereas South Park does it in the smartest, sharpest way by tackling the unbelievable tragedy of the week. We’re never going to out South Park, South Park.”
But the show still has bite. Take Monopoly Go!, which launched with a new short that saw Mr. Burns once again go up against Mr. Monopoly (voiced by Will Ferrell, in his Simpsons debut). “Billionaires of the world seem to be doing well, so to have those two having a petty fight over a stolen top hat from the 1920s satirises the world we find ourselves in,” says Selman. After causing carnage all across Springfield, the pair end up in jail but Mr. Monopoly isn’t worried. “We’ll be bailed out in no time,” he grins. “Privilege has its privileges.”
Whether it’s on streaming, at the cinema or in your favourite game, the goal for The Simpsons is to “tell stories that matter and are funny,” says Selman. “Don’t waste the opportunity to be original in 2026,” he adds, looking at the storyboard for an episode set to launch next year. “We’re not resting on our laurels. Repeating yourself is so boring and frustrating.”
‘The Simpsons’ event in ‘Monopoly Go!’ is live now, and runs until July 29. For more info, head here.
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