After 12 years of building virtual Springfields, sending Homer on donut-fueled escapades, and collecting every obscure Simpsons character you never knew you needed, EA is finally sunsetting The Simpsons: Tapped Out.
Yes, it’s time to wave goodbye to the mobile game that lets you run Springfield better than Mayor Quimby ever could – if you had enough doughnuts, of course.
In a heartfelt (and slightly heartbreaking) in-app pop-up, EA informed players that new downloads for the game would cease in October 2024, with servers officially going offline in January 2025. So, come 2025, you’ll have to find another way to procrastinate during boring meetings.
On social media, EA took a moment to address the game’s loyal fanbase, because after 308 updates, 831 characters, and 1,463 questlines, Springfield has had more content than most AAA games.
“It has been a remarkable journey,” EA said, “and we are grateful that we’ve been able to deliver this experience alongside our partners at The Simpsons and The Walt Disney Company.” They even called the decision to shut down the app an emotional one. EA having emotions? Who knew?
For those who don’t already know, The Simpsons: Tapped Out first hit mobile devices back in 2012, when people still thought Flappy Bird was the future of gaming. The freemium title tasked players with building their own Springfield, using iconic characters and buildings from the show.
In true EA fashion, you could speed up the process by shelling out real-world money for doughnuts because Homer needs his fix, and so does EA.
But not everyone was a fan of the freemium model. In their 2014 episode, “Freemium Isn’t Free,” South Park cheekily jabbed at Tapped Out, calling out the practice of making players download a game for free and then luring them into spending real cash for the full experience.
Now, with the end in sight, EA has flipped the script – sort of. In-app purchases have been disabled, and players can now grab doughnuts using in-game currency instead of real cash.
So, what’s next for the citizens of Springfield? Will Homer finally find peace knowing his doughnut supply will last until the end of the game? Will Bart’s pranks get any funnier? Will EA ever make a game that doesn’t involve microtransactions? Only time will tell.
For now, enjoy your last days in virtual Springfield because, as of 2025, it’s officially game over for Tapped Out.