Dan Houser, the influential co-founder of Rockstar Games and lead writer for their most iconic titles, including the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series, has finally shed light on why a sequel to the beloved game Bully never materialized. According to Houser, the project fell victim to “bandwidth issues” within the studio.
The original Bully, released in 2006 (and known as Canis Canem Edit in some regions), quickly became a fan favorite. This humorous action game immersed players in the role of Jimmy Hopkins, a high school outcast navigating the eccentricities of a pretentious private school. Critics widely praised Bully for its engaging action and sharp sense of humor, promising players many hours of fun.
For years, the gaming community has clamored for a sequel. It’s an open secret that Bully 2 was, at one point, actively in development at Rockstar’s New England studio during the late 2000s. Although the sequel was ultimately shelved, some of its innovative ideas reportedly found their way into other major Rockstar releases, such as Red Dead Redemption 2.
During an exclusive interview held at LA Comic Con on Saturday, September 27, we directly asked Houser about the fate of the 2006 fan-favorite. He candidly explained, “I think it was just bandwidth issues. You know, 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.”
Houser further elaborated on the complexities of managing multiple ambitious projects with limited personnel. “And you know, we certainly — how we’re structured at Absurd Ventures, we’re doing two projects with a fairly small team, and it’s really trying to think through that. How can we do that and keep them both moving?”
Over the years, dataminers have uncovered intriguing hints about Bully 2’s potential. In 2023, for example, an alleged leak of a database file for Grand Theft Auto 5 reportedly included references to the unreleased Bully 2.
After leaving Rockstar Games in 2020, Houser founded Absurd Ventures, a transmedia company. His new venture is set to release a crime fiction comic series, ‘American Caper,’ on November 12, 2025, with its first arc comprising 12 issues.
Additionally, last year saw a group of approximately 20 developers, including the former CEO, from Ascendant Studios join Absurd Ventures to establish a new studio in San Rafael, California, named Absurd Marin. However, specific details regarding the games currently in development at this new studio have yet to be revealed.
