It’s been over 14 years since the initial release ofBully, the school-based action-adventure from Rockstar Games. However, despite the title’s solid critical reception, the potential sequel,Bully 2, has apparently failed to gain traction at the studio.
There have always been rumors surroundingthe development ofBully 2, and for many years it seemed certain that the game was being worked on. Even now, over a decade later and with no official word for seven years, many fans still hope that the game is in development. Why Rockstar pushed aside one of its most beloved titles for so long has always been a bit of mystery, but a new rumor may have shed some light.
The Secret History of Bully 2
It was back in 2009, a year after the release of the remasteredBully: The Scholarship Edition, that the firstrumors of aBullysequelappeared. Musician Shawn Lee, who had previously scoredBully, revealed in an interview that he’d soon be scoring the sequel as well. Two years later, in 2011, Rockstar Executive Dan Houser revealed that althoughBullywas popular at the studio, Rockstar had a policy against releasing sequels too soon after their originals.
He went on to suggest thatBully 2would eventually become the focus of Rockstar Vancouver once again, but only after therelease ofMax Payne 3. A year later, Rockstar Vancouver was merged into Rockstar Toronto. Finally, in 2013, Dan House returned to say that he had many different ideas for aBullysequel, in what was the last official comment on the series from Rockstar.
After 2013, there have only been rumors about the state ofBully 2. These rumors included leaked concept art in 2017, and a 2019 recorded conversation with a supposed Rockstar New England employee, who revealed that the game had been worked on for several months beforeBully 2was finally scrapped in 2010. This story was backed up by inside sources interviewed by Video Games Chronicle, who confirmed that Rockstar had worked onBully 2for 18 months. These sources also said that production began again in 2010, after the release ofRed Dead Redemption, but was cancelled in 2013. The latest rumor, which came out only a few days ago, contradicts this timeline.
In the Shadows of Giants
Thenew rumor first appeared on the GTA Forums, posted by credible Rockstar leaker Tez2. In the post, Tez2 suggested that the game may still have been in development as late as 2015. However, at the time it suffered from being developed alongsideRed Dead Redemption 2andGTA 5. Indeed, it’s very possible that the sequel to Rockstar’s smash-hit western adventure drew a lot of the studio’s resources, leeching them away from theBully 2’sdevelopment. Similarly,Grand Theft Autohas always been Rockstar’s golden child, and any smaller title would have a hard time competing with it at the studio.
It seems that it was a similar overshadowing that finally spelled the end for theBullysequel. According to the leaker,Bully 2was canned in 2017, as the team working on it were moved onto the upcomingGrand Theft Auto 6. Although this is the second time the game has been rumored to be cancelled, the idea that Rockstar would prefer to focus its resources onGTAandRDRis very believable.
Rockstar’s two biggest series’both achieved critical acclaim with their latest offerings, giving the studio more than enough incentive to prioritize them. While it’s possible that work onBully 2could be handed off to one of the many smaller Rockstar studios, few of them have solo-developed a title before. All in all, it seems likely that this rumor is at least close to the truth, andBullyfans shouldn’t hold their breath about getting a sequel any time soon.
Grand Theft Auto 6has yet to be announced but is rumored to be in development.
MORE:New Bully Easter Egg Possibly Found in Red Dead Redemption 2
