Dan Houser, the celebrated co-founder of Rockstar Games and one of the creative forces behind some of the most successful titles in gaming history, has finally shed light on why the long-anticipated Bully 2 never made it to release. 
Speaking at LA Comic Con in an exclusive interview with IGN, Houser revealed that the issue was not a lack of interest or ideas, but simply “bandwidth issues.”
For those who may not recall, the original Bully, released in 2006, placed players in the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins, a rebellious student navigating the trials of life at an elitist private academy. The game was praised for its witty writing, satirical edge, and unique blend of open-world mechanics with a schoolyard setting. It quickly became a cult classic and was hailed by critics as one of Rockstar’s most inventive projects. IGN’s original review described it as a “well-crafted action game strengthened by one of the best senses of humor around.”
Fans have demanded a sequel for nearly two decades, and at one point it seemed within reach. Rockstar’s New England studio was reportedly working on a follow-up in the late 2000s. However, the project fizzled out, and while pieces of its DNA allegedly carried over into other Rockstar titles – such as Red Dead Redemption 2 – the full sequel never came together.
When asked why, Houser was candid: “If you’ve got a small lead creative team and a small senior leadership crew, you just can’t do all the projects you want.” He explained that even now, at his new company Absurd Ventures, the challenge remains the same. “We’re doing two projects with a fairly small team, and we have to constantly think about how to keep them both moving forward,” Houser noted. In other words, ambition often collides with the practical limits of time, manpower, and resources.
Speculation around Bully 2 has never entirely disappeared. Dataminers over the years have unearthed hints – most notably in 2023, when references to the unreleased sequel were discovered within a leaked Grand Theft Auto V database file. Such findings reignited hopes that Rockstar might someday revisit the project, but Houser’s comments suggest the decision was less about scrapping an idea and more about prioritizing projects that the company’s leadership believed they could realistically deliver.
Since leaving Rockstar in 2020, Houser has pivoted toward transmedia storytelling. His new venture, Absurd Ventures, is expanding beyond games into comics and other narrative-driven mediums. One of its flagship projects is American Caper, a crime fiction comic series scheduled to debut on November 12, 2025. The first story arc will span twelve issues, marking Houser’s first major published work since departing Rockstar. Last year, he also expanded Absurd Ventures’ footprint by establishing Absurd Marin, a new studio in San Rafael, California, staffed by a number of former Ascendant Studios developers. Details about their upcoming games remain tightly under wraps.
As for Bully 2, Houser’s words confirm what fans had long suspected: sometimes even the most beloved projects fall victim to the realities of development capacity. While the dream of returning to Bullworth Academy seems unlikely for now, Houser’s focus on new stories suggests that his creative energy is far from spent. Whether through games, comics, or other media, his work continues to push the boundaries of storytelling in ways that gamers and readers alike will be eager to experience.