What Happened to Bully 2?

Bully was released in 2006 and was met with an overwhelmingly warm reception. Despite the success of the game, Rockstar has yet to do anything with the IP since then. Fans of the original are hoping and praying for Bully 2 or even a remake of the original. While a Bully 2 game would be ideal, even a proper remake with today’s graphics would suffice. Really though, what happened to Bully 2?

With the success that Grand Theft Auto 5 has seen in the last decade (yes, it’s been that long), it’s no wonder why they’ve yet to work on any beloved series from the past. It’s likely that they’re putting all of their resources into the next Grand Theft Auto game which is a shame for fans of Bully. Truthfully, who can blame Rockstar? Grand Theft Auto Online has been a cash cow that they’ve been milking for many years now. As long as the consumers keep lining Rockstar’s pockets, there’s no way they’ll let up on it anytime soon.

To Rockstar: why do we want Bully 2? It’s quite simple really; the original was a masterpiece. The story, the premise, the characters, the score, the gameplay, everything about it was just perfection. It was way ahead of its time and the innovation brought about some aspects that later returned in Red Dead Redemption 2 such as the ability to directly communicate with any NPC in the game world. 

Every character in the game had a name, at least the ones who attended the school. You got to know each character like the back of your hand; you would recognize them by face, voice, and even quirks. Every student had a unique personality and it felt like the school had more life to it other than being a blank canvas to wreak havoc in.

While Grand Theft Auto has been in the spotlight, past franchises from Rockstar have been left to drown and be forgotten. Games like The Warriors, Manhunt, L.A. Noire, and our beloved Bully haven’t been shown any love in years. more than ever, we need Bully 2. With the way the world is now, the game could take the premise of the original and make it more modern.

For example, the premise was about a troubled teen who wanted to put an end to bullying at his boarding school. Bullying nowadays is significantly worse than it ever has been; bullying is a huge problem that has led to countless suicides in the younger generation of students. A Bully 2 game could shed some light on this issue and the bullies that play it may come to realize that bullying just isn’t cool. While it may be wishful thinking, it may just help the problem plaguing many schools worldwide.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen countless leaks and rumors about a Bully 2 game supposedly being developed. It even went as far as leaked concept art being shared all over Google. Whether or not they are real is still a mystery, but the fact of the matter is we want them to be real so they throw our beliefs into something that may never come to fruition. Rumor this, rumor that, all of these rumors get old and tiresome. We want concrete facts. We want someone to tell us point blank that it’s either coming or it isn’t. Don’t leave us hanging in the wind hoping for a day that’ll never come.

From a rugged start to a victorious finish, Bully was an amazing game. The innovation it brought about made the game ahead of its time. To this day, the game lives on as a classic and one of Rockstar’s best games to date. 

It’s been ported to several platforms over the years to include every iteration of PlayStation and Xbox, PC, and even smartphones. There’s a solid reason why it has gotten so much love and continues to have a growing fanbase. We don’t just want Bully 2; we need Bully 2. 

For now, we can only get caught up in all of the speculatory rumors that will never cease to exist on the internet. Or, we can hop back into the original to reminisce on what could’ve been if there was a sequel. Either way, if you’ve been waiting for Bully 2, know that you aren’t alone and that we will never stop pushing to have it made.