After more than a decade online, the company acknowledged in a Facebook post that it had made the “tough decision” to sunset its free-to-play mobile game. October 31, 2024, is when The Simpsons: Tapped Out will be taken down from app stores. Although it will remain playable for the remainder of the year, servers will go down on January 24, 2025. Already, in-app purchases are not allowed.
In today’s Facebook post, EA stated, “The choice to stop our twelve-year adventure is a painful one.” In collaboration with The Walt Disney Company and The Simpsons, we have had great fun providing this game to you, the fans, and watching how each of you has created your cherished interpretation of Springfield. We are appreciative that we were able to give 308 updates, 831 characters, and today’s final farewell 1,463 questlines. It has been an incredible adventure.”
The Simpsons: Tapped Out lets users create their own version of Springfield and was first released for iOS in 2012 and Android in 2013. At times, it was extremely popular, and according to EA’s 2014 report, it has brought in over $130 million in digital net revenue. Fans seemed to particularly enjoy its upgrades with seasonal and holiday themes.
However, Tapped Out has faced backlash as a part of broader criticism directed towards the freemium game model. In the 2014 South Park episode “Freemium Is not Free,” which featured multiple characters engrossed in an app that had a striking resemblance to The Simpsons: Tapped Out, it appeared to be parodied.
The story also emphasizes how few Simpsons video games there have been in the last ten years. The most recent being Tapped Out; it was preceded by Hit & Run in 2003 and The Simpsons Game in 2007. The latter’s makers gave a statement last year explaining why, despite popular desire, the well-liked game was never followed up on.
