Bully is one of Rockstar's dormant franchises, and a highly requested game at the same time. Now rumor has it, Rockstar canceled Bully 2. What's going on?
[Update, January 3, 2022]
Screenshots of the canceled Bully 2 were uncovered again, as well as additional info on the game, like that the Bully 2 map was supposed to be three times bigger than that of the first game. These screenshots make us more sad than happy... sad that it never happened and never will.
Here are some more concept art without watermarks. If you have any questions about the art, DM me. #Bully2 #Bully2Info pic.twitter.com/xdKE4okK1X
— Bully 2 Info (@Bully2Info) August 13, 2017
Bully 2 Concept Art #Bully2 #Bully2Info pic.twitter.com/l8YDu3a1hm
— Bully 2 Info (@Bully2Info) June 18, 2017
Bully 2 Concept Art #Bully2 #Bully2Info pic.twitter.com/4QHI43t5Gm
— Bully 2 Info (@Bully2Info) June 18, 2017
[Original article]
It all started with the news that Rockstar canceled a game that was already in development and had already cost them a breezy $53 milli. Then, Nick Baker took the rumor, and, in a since deleted tweet, stated that he believes the canceled game to be Bully 2. Why? Because he'd heard Bully 2 was in development, and simply assumed that, with such a high budget attached, Bully 2 is the one that was canceled. So... what's the deal here?
Did Rockstar Cancel Bully 2?
No. Rockstar did not cancel Bully 2. The game that was canceled was, in fact, not even a Rockstar game. Hangar 13 are also operating under the Take Two umbrella, and they had one of their projects canceled: Volt – a game they've been working on since 2017.
NEWS: Take-Two/2K has canceled a new game from Hangar 13, code-named Volt, which has been in development in various forms since 2017, sources tell Bloomberg. Today's earnings suggest that the project cost $53 million. Not yet clear if there will be layoffs https://t.co/qnJkrIOnKg
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 3, 2021
Volt was meant to be an online competitive game revolving around superheros. While it's sad to see a game get canceled so deep in development, and have all these people lose their product of labor, it is good to know Bully 2 is still a thing. Besides, if anything, Nick Baker's suspicions have suddenly become good news for all Bully fans: He assumed Bully got canned, due to knowing that the game is actually being made. Since it's not canceled, the quick maths deducts that Bully 2 is truly happening. Hard to believe, considering that Rockstar is currently working on the GTA Trilogy Remaster, the upgraded GTA 5, a Red Dead Redemption remaster, and the upcoming GTA 6. Still... if anyone can pull it off, it's Rockstar. Though Nick Baker might've also just been talking out of his a**, and Bully is not in development at all.
Another piece of news regarding all this is the fate of Mafia 4: Obviously, since Volt was the game to get canceled, Mafia 4 didn't get the can. Still, sometimes no news is better news, because this whole thing allowed Jason Schreier to shine light on the fact that Mafia 5 is not really a thing at all:
Volt was a new IP - rumors of Hangar 13 making a Mafia 4 were always false, aside from their early attempts in 2016-2017 (read this article for more: https://t.co/AzNQVoM2FF)
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 3, 2021