Back in July YouTuber SWEGTA posted a video claiming that - according to information from alleged anonymous sources - Bully 2 was being developed by Rockstar, but was then canceled before it ever saw the light of day, and now Video Games Chronicle claims to have also heard similar information.
The report claims - again with information from sources allegedly close to development - that Rockstar New England spent more than a year working on a sequel in the early 2010s, including a playable build, with Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser and a crew of developers writing a script as early as 2008. This included the first few scenes and an outline of the rest of the plot.
Jimmy Hopkins apparently returned in this project, and it started at his stepfather's house in the summer, ending the school year. This is the same as SWEGTA's video claims, and a second source reportedly told VGC that the team never decided for sure where the story would take the protagonist.
Between 2010 and 2013, Rockstar New England spent 18 months building the concept, including Drew Medina and Steven Olds. The art team led development, and a "very small slice" was playable, using the same engine as both Red Dead Redemption games, and Grand Theft Auto IV and V.
Development eventually "fizzled out", however, with the team split into different projects.
"It existed, it was playable, it was just a shame it never got off the ground," the source said, adding that the project was described as an "unannounced game" on CVs.
We've heard plenty of rumours about a Bully sequel, but with both GTA Online and Red Dead Online bringing in plenty of cash for Rockstar, as well as an incoming PC release of the latter, it seems increasingly unlikely that we'll get it.
Would you like a Bully 2?