‘Bully 2’ cancellation brings both bad and good news to fans of the popular Rockstar Games title, here’s why

Video game fans who fell in love with the gameplay of “Bully” has been waiting for a sequel for more than a decade now. Unfortunately, it appears that the future of the franchise is questionable once more following reports that the development of “Bully 2” has been canceled multiple times already.

‘Bully 2’ getting canceled is bad news for obvious reasons

When “Bully” was launched in 2006, it was a testament to Rockstar Games’ ability to produce a new IP while also maintaining other high-profile franchises like “Grand Theft Auto.” But the success of “Bully” also meant that there was a demand for “Bully 2” to be made, and it seemed like Rockstar was unable to give attention to both titles with fanbases that have been demanding for an all-new installment for many years now.

While Rockstar does not discuss sequels as much as fans would prefer, there was always hope for “Bully 2” until earlier this week when known insider Tez2 said the sequel had been canceled for a while. The leaker said in a GTA Forums discussion that “Bully 2” was “canned in 2017.”

Since this is the closest to an update that fans can get, it appears that “Bully 2” is not getting announced anytime soon. The source also did not indicate if there are any plans on Rockstar’s end to pursue the sequel once its workload becomes lighter in the future. This part is bad news as the 2017 cancellation would be the third time the project has been buried, throwing the franchise’s future into limbo.

What’s a positive takeaway in the reported ‘Bully 2’ cancellation

Tez2’s recent tip also comes with a bit of good news, especially to fans waiting for “GTA 6.” The Rockstar insider said one of the possible reasons “Bully 2” was placed on the back burner was so the studio can focus its resources on the development of “GTA 6,” which reportedly entered the early stages in 2015.

While that is not as big as a release date announcement for “GTA 6,” it could still be viewed as a piece of good news. If Tez2 is correct, it means Rockstar is still prioritizing the next “GTA” title, unfortunately, at the expense of “Bully 2.”