Bully 2 could finally be announced soon, after reportedly being pulled from The Game Awards 2021. The sequel to Rockstar’s divisive school sim has been long-rumored, but it sounds like an official reveal could be on the way soon.
As reported by GamesRadar, prominent gaming leaker Tom Henderson (who has previously correctly predicted details for Call of Duty Vanguard and Battlefield 2042) tweeted that “some people” had seen a playable version of Bully 2 a couple of weeks prior to The Game Awards, suggesting that a reveal would be taking place soon.
Henderson claims that the sequel was “expected as a potential surprise reveal” at the event on December 9, but stressed that “information is a bit blurry at the moment” and that he had to remain “quite vague”.
Bully 2 was expected as a potential surprise reveal at #TheGameAwards last week after some people have been shown some material alluding to a reveal soon.Information is a bit blurry at the moment, and I have to be quite vague here, but if I hear more I will report on it. pic.twitter.com/OF53pU5Y8CDecember 13, 2021
A long-rumored sequel
The original Bully released on PS2 all the way back in 2006, with an enhanced port known as Bully: Scholarship Edition releasing in 2008 for Wii, Xbox 360 and PC. A mobile port followed almost a decade later in 2016, which was handled by the same studio responsible for the controversial Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.
Bully was a divisive game for its time, but still managed to find a loyal fanbase thanks to its novel blend of open-world exploration and juvenile school life, complete with criteria like attending minigame-centric lessons on time, and going to bed at the dorms each night before you tire out.
Rumors of Bully 2 date back to 2019, where the game was reportedly in the works at Rockstar, but was canceled soon after development got started. Following this, a Bully Easter egg spotted in GTA Online once again sparked rumors that something was happening with the long-dormant series, but nothing has come of this as of yet.
Even if the rumors are nothing but smoke and mirrors, we think it’s fair to say Rockstar could use all the good publicity it can get right now. The aforementioned GTA Trilogy remasters, paired with the continued radio silence of the GTA 5 PS5 and Xbox Series X/S enhanced port has seen the developer fall from grace somewhat in the eyes of many fans.
Official news of a Bully sequel could at least salvage some of that goodwill, showing Rockstar is still dedicated to its back catalog of franchises. And with GTA 6 likely a few years away still, seeing some more Rockstar games fill the void would be very welcome.