The Simpsons: Tapped Out, a popular mobile game, has permanently closed, and fans are commemorating the end of an era. The game was an immediate smash on iOS and Android smartphones when it was introduced in 2012.
The idea behind the game was to let users create and manage their own version of Springfield, the fictional town that serves as the setting for the cartoon. Hundreds of famous locales from the show, like the Kwik-E-Mart, the nuclear power plant, and the Simpsons family home, were included in the game, which impressed fans with its many intricacies and references.
Dan Castellaneta, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, and Hank Azaria were among the Simpsons cast members who contributed their voices to the game.
The game had a devoted player base that would log on daily even though it wasn’t as popular as it was when it was first published. Unfortunately for them, all of that ended on January 24 when the game’s servers were permanently shut down.
On September 26, 2024, EA Games, the company behind The Simpsons: Tapped Out, released a statement confirming the information. It read: “We have made the difficult decision to sunset Tapped Out. In-app purchases have been disabled, and the game will be removed from the app stores on 31 October, 2024. You may continue playing until January 24th, 2025, at which point servers will be turned off and TSTO will not be accessible.
“The decision to end our 12-year journey is an emotional one. 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 is a mobile game that has been around for more than ten years. EA never gave a clear explanation for why it was shutting it down, but it might have had to do with licenses expiring, the game’s operating costs not being able to be covered by its revenue, or some other factor.
It comes only weeks after it was revealed that the popular cartoon series would no longer air on Channel 4 in the UK, which decided to remove it from its usual weekday schedule after 20 years.
The Simpsons has been broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK since 2004 and celebrated its 35th anniversary on December 17. Beginning with season 32, the broadcaster has decided to switch The Simpsons to E4. Season 36 and any upcoming seasons of the show will debut on Disney+ before airing on E4. For a brief period, the new seasons will also be accessible on Channel 4’s streaming service.
Regretfully, there are more EA-published games that will be taken offline in 2025 besides The Simpsons: Tapped Out. On January 29, seven more EA mobile games will be discontinued, and on February 17, UFC 3 will be phased down. Madden NFL 21’s online services will end on June 30, and EA Sports UFC Mobile 2 and NCAA 14 will also go down on March 13.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out is now permanently gone, however several of these games offer offline settings that allow fans to continue playing even when their internet functionality is turned down.