Bully 2 – What the Hell Happened to it?

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When people think of Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption immediately spring to mind. The upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6, launching next May, is generating incredible excitement and is easily one of the most awaited games ever. And then there’s Red Dead Redemption 2, released in 2018, which continues to be considered one of the greatest games of all time. This leads many players to wonder when it will receive an upgrade for current gaming consoles. Considering we’re already well into this console generation, Rockstar, surely an upgrade isn’t too far off… or is it? But I’m getting off-topic.

As a gamer, it’s easy to forget just how many different games Rockstar has worked on over the years, especially with so many studios under their umbrella. One that always sticks with me is Bully. I remember playing it first on the PS2 back in 2006, and then later on the Wii, Xbox 360, and PC a couple of years after that. They even gave it a mobile release in December 2016, which was cool. Honestly, it feels like it’s been put on hold indefinitely, just like Midnight Club, Manhunt and L.A. Noire. It’s like they’re all in cryo sleep waiting for a revival!

It’s even more surprising, then, when reports surfaced in 2018 suggesting a sequel was being considered. After one report from a Rockstar New England employee – who stated the project was scrapped – and a few hints about the story, nothing further came to light. This isn’t too unexpected, though, as excitement for Red Dead Redemption 2 was incredibly high. Despite this, the rumors persisted, and as the years went by before the announcement of GTA 6, many of us were left wondering: Will they make it, or won’t they?

It appears that, after a long wait, Dan Houser – co-founder and former head writer/president of Rockstar Games – has finally offered some explanation. He was questioned by IGN at LA Comic Con about why a sequel to Bully was never made. His response was remarkably brief, yet still open to interpretation:

I believe the problem was simply a lack of resources. When you have a limited creative team and leadership group, it’s difficult to handle every project. Specifically, we’re currently attempting to manage two projects with a very small team, and we’re carefully considering how to make that work and keep both projects progressing.

Those mentions of “bandwidth issues” and a “small lead creative team” probably point to Rockstar back in 2008, when the first Bully came out, don’t they? It wasn’t Rockstar North – the studio behind the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption games (with support from other studios around the world) – but rather Rockstar Vancouver that led the development. That developer also worked on Max Payne 3 and later joined forces with Rockstar Toronto in 2012. Rockstar Toronto most recently contributed to Red Dead Redemption 2, so it’s reasonable to think they’re also helping with Grand Theft Auto 6.

Essentially, what Sam Houser said suggests that Rockstar Games can only handle two projects simultaneously. This seems logical when you consider they started working on Grand Theft Auto 5 back in 2008, followed by Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2010 (although initial ideas for the latter began even before Grand Theft Auto 5 was finished). Both games are incredibly ambitious and require the full attention of the entire team. This means a potential Bully 2 would likely be put on hold indefinitely, or might never even begin development. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Here’s where the story gets tricky. Back in October 2019, VGC reported that a sequel had been in development for a year and a half before it was ultimately cancelled. Reportedly, Dan Houser wrote a preliminary script around 2008, featuring Jimmy spending the summer at his stepfather’s home. Earlier rumours suggested a step-sibling would be the villain, but supposed casting calls for “college professors” hinted at potentially expanding beyond the setting of Bullworth Academy. However, it appears Rockstar hadn’t fully decided on that direction.

The team reportedly spent roughly 18 months – from 2010 to 2013 – developing a limited portion of the RAGE Engine, but the project seemingly lost momentum and was eventually cancelled. According to one insider, “It existed, it was playable, it was just a shame it never got off the ground.”

You’d imagine that would be the final attempt, but Rockstar seemingly tried working on a sequel again. According to insider Tez2, the company was developing Bully 2 up until 2017, but paused to complete Red Dead Redemption 2. Work on early stages for Grand Theft Auto 6 was also reportedly in progress, and they wanted to accelerate its development. Even though it seemed like that was the end of the line, it wasn’t, apparently.

Back in December 2021, Tom Henderson, a generally trustworthy source of information, shared that Bully 2 was possibly going to be unexpectedly announced at The Game Awards. He said that “some people” had seen things hinting at an upcoming reveal. While the details were a little unclear, Henderson mentioned that reports indicated “some people” had played a working version of the game before the event-it wasn’t just a demonstration or pre-recorded footage.

Henderson stated, “It was worth reporting on as there’s definitely something going on with the series.” He maintains his belief that something was happening in February 2022, but so far, that hasn’t materialized. The original game was rated for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC in Taiwan last year, but there hasn’t been even an announcement of a remaster or upgrade for current-gen platforms. He would still stand by that belief.”

The most likely explanation – though it’s still just a theory, considering how little we’ve heard lately – is that this particular version of Bully 2, which isn’t the one Sam Houser might have been involved with, has been repeatedly started and paused due to Grand Theft Auto 6. We’ve heard reports of development problems before, including a possible restart in 2020 after Houser’s departure. It’s possible Bully 2 was still in early planning stages, and by late 2021, Rockstar realized it would need to dedicate more resources to Grand Theft Auto 6.

The project has been put on hold with no progress reports since, as all attention is now on Grand Theft Auto 6. Given the enormous excitement and high hopes – with analysts like DFC Intelligence predicting $3.2 billion in revenue during its first year, and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick describing it as “one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, not just in games but for all of media” – it’s understandable that other projects have been sidelined.

Let’s be real, the Bully 2 that Rockstar was developing way back in the early 2010s seems totally cancelled now. I like to hope that maybe, just maybe, they at least thought about a remaster or an updated version of the original to see if people would be interested – that might explain that rating we saw last year. We’ve also been hearing whispers about a current-gen version of Red Dead Redemption 2, which would finally bring it to the Nintendo Switch 2, but that hasn’t happened either. And honestly, I keep wondering if it’s all because Rockstar just doesn’t have enough people to spare while they’re working on Grand Theft Auto 6.

Whether this decision is good or bad is up for debate. We likely won’t understand the full impact until after the game is released, or even know all the challenges it overcame. However, it’s disappointing for fans who loved Bully and appreciated how Rockstar showcased its open-world skills in such a charming way – they’ll have to wait an indefinite amount of time for a sequel. While anything is possible, it’s reasonable to question if handing the sequel off to another development studio might be a better approach.

Please be aware: The opinions shared in this article belong solely to the author and don’t reflect the official stance of GamingBolt as a company. They shouldn’t be considered as representing GamingBolt’s views.

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2025-09-30 16:43