Rockstar Games is best known for its the almost infinite amount of freedom its titles afford players. Series like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto have broken sales records and become the gold standard for huge, open-world games. But one great Rockstar titles that lives in their shadows is the 2006 game Bully, which followed a delinquent teen named Jimmy as he worked all the different high-school archetypes at the fictional boarding school Bullworth Academy.
Bully is more than just a PG Grand Theft Auto, and it was hugely successful when it was released. It's success would mean an instant sequel in most developers' eyes, but in Bully's case, things are more complicated. There have been many rumors and theories about a Bully 2 over the years. Between rumored storylines, alleged casting calls for characters, and leaked concept art, whether or not Bully 2 is in development is anyone's guess.
Bully Sold Much Better Than Industry Analysts Predicted
Back when Bully was first released, an industry analyst claimed that the game wouldn't sell anywhere near enough copies to warrant a sequel. According to Game Politics, Michael Pachter, the Managing Director of Research for Wedbush Morgan Securities, would have put money on the game bombing if he could have.
However, when sales for the game were through the roof, Pachter was proven wrong, and he even apologized to Rockstar and called the sequel a possibility. But little did he know how many theories and rumors surrounding a mysterious sequel would follow.
The Composer For Bully Said He'd Be Scoring Bully 2
Everybody remembers all of the great characters in Bully, but what made the game truly memorable was its unique and almost spooky aesthetic. Part of what helped build that tone was the mysterious, xylophone-heavy musical score.
According to IGN, in an exclusive interview with The Gaming Liberty, Shawn Lee, the musician who composed Bully's score, claimed that he had been hired to compose the music for the sequel. In 2012, when asked if he would be scoring any more video games, he responded with, "Yes, it looks like I'll be doing Bully 2 in the not-so-distant future."
Rockstar Planned To Work On Bully 2 After Max Payne 3
Though it's one of many video game movies everyone forgot about, Max Payne is one of Rockstar's great, often overlooked game series, just like Bully. Max Payne 3 was the last entry into the series, released in 2012. According to Eurogamer, Rockstar was scheduled to get to work on Bully 2 after that.
Rockstar executive Dan Houser said at the time, "We didn't want to start doing the Bully sequel instantly," so they decided to wait until after the Max Payne sequel. It lines up with what composer Shawn Levy told the press, as he was quoted as saying he'd be working on the soundtrack around the same time as when Max Payne 3 was released.
Rockstar Had Tons Of Ideas For Bully 2
After no news came following Houser's talk of following Max Payne 3 with a Bully sequel, the Rockstar exec continued to talk about it one year later. With it being a personal favorite of the executive's, to say there hasn't been a new game, he couldn't stop talking about it, even if it was brought up by the interviewer.
In an interview with Polygon, Houser essentially repeated what he said from the year before. He claimed that he was still interested in making a sequel to the 2006 game and that he has loads of ideas of avenues it could go down. The interviewer raised the idea of the game following Jimmy as an adult and that it could be a Grand Theft Auto title, which Houser shot down immediately.
Concept Art For Bully 2 Leaked Online
This is as close to undisputable proof as there is that a sequel was in the works at least at some point. According to VG247, concept art for Bully 2 (along with Agent, another long-in-the-works Rockstar game) leaked online. Revealed to the world in 2017, the images show a snowy road that is reportedly based in Austria.
There were also loads of character models released that look like typical cartoons seen in Bully's loading screens, and they look like a mix of townies and pompous teachers. There's also a scruffy-looking postman with a hook for a hand, who is familiar of the Hobo in the first game.
There Were Alleged Casting Calls For Bully 2
Now 12 years after the initial release of the first game, in 2018, according to ComicBook.com, casting calls were held for Bully 2. It wasn't a certainty that it was a casting call for the sequel, as nothing explicitly states "Bully 2," but there were some notes in the report that made fans think that it could only be one game.
All the characters' names were placeholders, but the call noted that Rockstar was looking to cast teenagers and that young performers would be involved in scenes with "mild violence and profanity." However, the casting call also noted that it was for a thriller/drama, which doesn't exactly fit the bill for a Bully game, unless the narrative was drastically changed.
Bully 2 Was Scrapped In 2009 According To A Former Rockstar Employee
Despite the supposed casting call in 2018, the concept art from 2017, and Dan Houser's constant talk of a sequel, the developer might have scrapped the game as far back as early as 2009. The comment, according to Game Zone, comes from an anonymous former Rockstar employee.
The mystery employee doesn't go into detail about why the game was canceled. However, it's theorized that it was because the developer needed all hands on deck for Red Dead Redemption, and then for Grand Theft Auto V, and by then, it was too late.
Bully 2's Development Was Discontinued In 2013 According To Some Sources
Though other sources have confirmed the mystery Rockstar employee's statements, they don't agree with the year in which the game was supposedly discontinued. According to Video Games Chronicle, the game was canned in 2013, which is in line with the comments from Shawn Lee, the composer, and that Houser was planning to develop it after Max Payne 3.
The source also states that the development of the game got further than people actually suspected, as there was a playable build and even an open world, as basic as it might have been. The report also states that it wasn't canceled because Rockstar was so busy with other properties, but because the development simply "fizzled out." That's exactly why, out of all the games stuck in development hell, Bully 2 is the most frustrating.
Sources Have Discussed Bully 2's Possible Storylines
According to the same report from Video Games Chronicle, the anonymous sources go into great detail over the talks that were had about the potential sequel's narrative. While there were discussions about it being another school-based narrative, only this time being in college, the developers landed on something much different from the original.
The game supposedly followed Jimmy's return to his step-dad's enormous house, which is close to a summer camp, for summer break. Apparently, all of Jimmy's step-siblings would have served as the antagonists. And with there being so many great minigames in Bully, a summer camp and all-new town outside of Bullworth would have seen so many more.
The Current Status Of Bully 2
With Rockstar only ever focusing on one game at a time these days, Bully 2 has probably all been forgotten about over at Rockstar, as they're hard at work with constant GTA V updates. The developer is also hard at work on GTA VI, a game that makes Bully 2 look minuscule by comparison.
Dan Houser, who was the founder of Rockstar and a big champion of the first game, doesn't even work for the developer anymore, as he stepped down from the company in 2020. Though anything's possible, including the release of Bully 2, it's unfortunately unlikely that it'll ever see the light of day.