Rockstar Games has proven itself as one of the most talented and beloved developers out there, with its darlingGrand Theft Autohaving a long run of critical and commercial success. While the developer is seemingly mostly focused onGrand Theft Auto 5’s online component, rumors have been running rampant regarding an announcement tease for the next game in the series,Grand Theft Auto 6.
However, a lot of these far-sighted speculations and rumors have a high chance of turning out false. At the time of writing, it seems thatGrand Theft Auto 6is farther away than many fans would like to believe. There’s a decent chance that Rockstar might release other games before the nextGrand Theft Auto,and there’s a great case to be made forBully 2to at least be one of them.
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Bully Is Still a Rather Unique Open-World Game
Despite being over adecade sinceBully’s release, the game has a rather unique charm to it that has never been replicated. There’s a lot to be said aboutBully, but its biggest achievement lies in transitioning the satirical and chaotic nature of Rockstar’s signatureGrand Theft Auto titles into an entirely new setting. Bullworth Academy has its own set of rules and regulations, but everything works just like it should while still remaining instantly recognizable and a lot of fun.
That’s not to say that there aren’t games similar toBully’s school setting and associated gameplay, with perhaps one recent example beingthe upcomingHogwarts Legacy. Nonetheless,Bullydiffers a lot from its contemporaries and more modern games in many different ways, which adds a lot to its uniqueness. Rockstar has its market cornered with the first game, and with no real competition, it seems a great time to revitalize the franchise.
The Seeds Were Already In Place For Bully 2
The original game’s critical and commercial success impressed Rockstar, and hopes were high for a sequel.Bully’s composer Shawn Lee had stated in an interview in 2008 that he would be working onBully 2. Several other Rockstar executives had also been interviewed around the same time, which did affirm thepossibility ofBully 2but advised not to expect anything soon as the company was opposed to releasing sequels too soon.
Bully 2was reportedly being worked upon by Rockstar Vancouver, the team behind the originalBully. WithMax Payne 3’s impending release,Bully 2was pushed back and reportedly ultimately canned. While fans of the franchise have been speculating to this day about Easter eggs and references that might hint towards a sequel, it seems that Rockstar’s plans forBully 2are inconsistent at best. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no hope of it some day.
Bully 2 Might Actually Make a Return
There are multiplevideo games reportedly in development at Rockstar, and with RDR2 being recent,GTA 6is the most obvious answer for one of them. However, again, that’s just one of multiple potential games. Many fans have high hopes for seeing some of the dormant franchises making a return, andBully 2could be on the developer’s plate.
With the game already being in development once in the past, it could prove a great starting off point for revitalizing the development. It’s true that a Rockstar open-world game in this day and age would require a lot of resources that might be already occupied forGrand Theft Auto 6, but even a smaller-scaleBully 2could suffice. In fact, many would rather take a tightly designed, interesting to explore institution any day over an uninteresting landmass with a dozen fast-travel points (not to say that Rockstar’s games fit this mold at all, but there are plenty of open-world games that do).
Such a pared-back scale ensures that resources might be efficiently utilized, and fans of Rockstar could have something to play untilthe next bigGrand Theft Autogamecomes out.
Bully 2was rumored to be in development.
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