Apart from relying on their biggest cash cow, the Grand Theft Auto series, the 2000s witnessed a variety of titles being published by Rockstar Games. And like the GTA series, some of them weren’t immune to heavy media scrutiny, following their sensitive subject matter, but eventually garnered a dedicated fanbase, becoming cult classics in the years that followed.
This involved releases like Manhunt and Bully, but in the case of the latter, the planned sequel to the game never saw the end of the tunnel. However, it seems there once might’ve been some ambitious plans for the IP, according to the new leaks.
Bully 2 and 3 Were Reportedly in the Works According to Former Rockstar Employee
Although Bully might not have garnered the reception it deserved upon its release, even getting banned from Brazil, the later years witnessed fans stumbling back to this game and falling in love with it. The game also succeeded in separating itself from other Rockstar tiles by applying the GTA formula to the tumultuous grounds of Bullworth Academy, which helped it earn cult-classic status.
Even though it seemed the acclaimed studios might not jump in this direction again following the initial media backlash, reports suggest that they once did have some plans stored for Bully. After former Rockstar Research Video Editor Jon Young’s LinkedIn profile was unearthed, the two standout titles among all the listed projects were Bully 2 and Bully 3. Keeping in mind that Young served the studio from 2005-2018, the period which witnessed the game peak, it appears Rockstar once might have a trilogy in mind for the controversial IP.
Sequels to Bully Were Reportedly Scrapped in Favor of Red Dead Redemption
This isn’t the first time reports regarding the existence of a sequel to Bully broke out, as previous rumors suggested that Rockstar was working on reviving the IP on various points. But some reports claimed the reportedly planned sequel to Bully was canceled in favor of Red Dead Redemption, which will be coming to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, without any new content. And even though it can’t be said for sure if Bully 3 was ever in the works, which Young’s profile seems to imply, if it was, it’s safe to assume that it might’ve suffered the same fate as its reported predecessor.
With the studio fully committed to perfecting the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, it might be a long wait before a sequel to Bully is eventually greenlighted at the Rockstar headquarters.
Source: Jon Young’s LinkedIn
