The world didn’t even understand at the time what the game was about.
Rockstar Games is no stranger to controversy with their games. It’s a development studio that seems to thrive despite these controversial headlines, as it usually only seems to drive more sales. However, back in the day, after earning a reputation for being the development team behind Grand Theft Auto, the media had a field day with Bully. This was a new game that, by its name alone, sparked outrage among various communities.
Looking back now, the game is tame and is not what most had likely anticipated. It wasn’t a game where the goal was to be a bully. Instead, it was a title that looked to end bullying within an academy. However, at the time, no one knew that was the case. Fortunately, that didn’t bother the development team.
Rockstar Games Found Bully Concerns Funny
Thanks to the folks over at GamesRadar, we’re learning that Bully environment artist Andrew Wood spoke about the game development process. This was during a conversation featured in an issue of Retro Gamer. Overall, Andrew Wood noted that the studio laughed at the time due to all the controversy. That was because they knew that when Bully came out, people would realize that this was a game all about anti-bullying.
For a quick refresher, Rockstar Games’ Bully follows a teenager named Jimmy Hopkins, who is sent to Bullworth Academy. Overall, the game follows Jimmy as he attempts to befriend the various students and navigate the school’s different clique dynamics. However, in the process, he attempts to end bullying and the corrupt faculty.
Now, looking back, fans are hopeful that a sequel to this game will eventually be released. Of course, we know that while Dan Houser was at the helm of Rockstar Games, there just wasn’t enough bandwidth to get a Bully 2 into production.
While we don’t know if that has changed any since then, Rockstar Games is still rather busy. Currently, Rockstar Games is working to get Grand Theft Auto VI out into the marketplace. As it stands, we can expect GTA 6 in May 2026. However, as you know, there’s always the chance that a delay could come, pushing this game further back.
