It's easy to forget these days, but Rockstar was once known for more than Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto. While GTA has been the studio's best-selling franchise for quite some time, more experimental projects like Manhunt and Bully allowed for greater risk-taking and growth, often showcasing the developers' boldest ideas. With the latter turning a whopping eighteen years old now, the absence of this ironically adolescent-focused series is particularly poignant.
Though mired in controversy upon release, mostly because of its evocative title, Bully has proven itself to be quite an enduring game. To this day, anyone who grew up with Bully looks back on it fondly, as its core mechanics, storytelling, and even visuals have aged far better than one might expect. Bully follows Jimmy Hopkins, a teenager with an attitude problem but a heart of gold. While players can engage in some stereotypical "bully" activities, most of the game is actually about standing up against both child and adult bullies, with Jimmy making friends with outcasts and ultimately carving his own path as a misfit. It's a story about identity and justice that transcends its era, and it's an absolute shame that it never got a follow-up.
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Bully Deserves a Sequel, Now More Than Ever
Why There Hasn't Been a Bully 2 Yet
While some may hold out hope for a new Bully game, a continuation of the franchise feels like more of a pipe dream in the modern age. It's not that the world of Bully doesn't have potential—its potential is the main reason why so many gamers are clamoring for Bully 2—or that there wouldn't be demand for a sequel, but Rockstar clearly has other priorities. Rumors about Bully 2 have popped up over the years, but most reputable sources claim that the game never got far into development before being canned or delayed indefinitely.
There may be an easy culprit for this: GTA Online. The unbelievably successful multiplayer component of GTA 5 arguably hijacked Rockstar in the 2010s, its rampant popularity making it unthinkable to spend development resources on much else. And even though it's been well over a decade since GTA 5 came out, the franchise seems more popular than ever, meaning that there's almost no chance Rockstar is working on something like Bully 2 alongside GTA 6, the most hotly-anticipated game of next year. There might be a minuscule chance of revisiting the IP after GTA 6, but a new Red Dead Redemption game seems like a more likely prospect, for better or worse.
Bully Can't Fade Away
It may not have the mass marketability or social footprint of GTA or Red Dead Redemption, but Bully is a uniquely compelling property that deserves to be continued. The intricacies of teenage life are often explored in JRPGs like Persona and myriad visual novels, but rarely do games offer a window into American adolescence. More specifically, it's exceedingly rare to experience a grounded coming-of-age story in the world of gaming—demons, aliens, zombies, or some other supernatural force usually intervenes.
It may be absurd and implausible at times, but Bully isn't about saving the world or learning how to use special powers. It's a story about fitting in, struggling with identity, and standing up for one's friends. In this way, it has a lot in common with Rockstar's other leading titles, which explore the human condition in relation to society. For as much controversy as it stirred up when it launched, Bully is actually a remarkably mature and nuanced game, both in terms of storytelling and gameplay, and it's fair to say that it's among Rockstar's greatest achievements. It's dormant now, but the IP should see the light of day sometime relatively soon.
- Released
- October 17, 2006
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Crude Humor, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Vancouver
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- RenderWare, Gamebryo
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op
WHERE TO PLAY
The Rockstar tradition of groundbreaking, original gameplay, and tongue-in-cheek storytelling invades the schoolyard.
As a mischievous teenager, Jimmy Hopkins, you’ll stand up to bullies, take on the liars, cheats, and snobs who are the most popular members of the student body and faculty at Bullworth Academy — the corrupt and crumbling prep school with an uptight façade — and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of life in the worst school around.
If you can survive the school year and outsmart your rivals, you could rule the school.
