EA is tapping out of The Simpsons: Tapped Out.
The company confirmed that it has made the “difficult decision” to sunset its free-to-play mobile game in a
“The decision to end our twelve-year journey is an emotional one,” EA wrote in its Facebook post today. “Together with our partners at The Simpsons and The Walt Disney company, we have delighted in bringing this game to you, the fans, and seeing how you’ve each built your own beloved versions of Springfield. It has been a remarkable journey, and we are grateful that we’ve been able to deliver 308 updates, 831 characters and including today’s final farewell 1,463 questlines.”
The Simpsons: Tapped Out launched for iOS in 2012, followed by Android in 2013, and allowed players to build their own version of Springfield. It proved wildly popular at certain points, and EA said in 2014 that it had generated more than $130 million life-to-date in digital net revenue. Its seasonal and holiday-themed updates proved especially beloved by fans.
Tapped Out also, however, received blowback as part of larger criticism surrounding the freemium game model. It was seemingly lampooned in a 2014 episode of South Park titled “Freemium Isn’t Free,” which found several characters hooked on an app that looked a lot like The Simpsons: Tapped Out.
The news also highlights something of a dearth of Simpsons video games over the past decade. Tapped Out was the most recent, preceeded by The Simpsons Game in 2007 and Hit & Run in 2003. The developers of the latter commented last year on why that beloved game never got a sequel, despite fan demand.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.