Bully 2 News – Release Date, Trailer, Gameplay, Multiplayer, Co-Op, and More

Right now whether or not there’ll be a sequel to Bully is up in the air. Don’t expect to see hard Bully 2 news soon. If the casting call rumors are true, it would signal that development on Bully 2 is still in the early to middle stage of its dev cycle, but it’s a ways off before we’ll see a Bully 2 release date, trailer, gameplay, or any details on multiplayer or co-op. This prognosis is strengthened even more by Rockstar’s proclivity to take their time and produce on its own internal timeline.

Bully 2 Release Date

Rockstar Games has no shortage of work on their hands currently. The studio is putting the finishing touches on another long-awaited sequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, just ahead of its October 26 release date while continually developing content for the lucrative Grand Theft Auto Online. Don’t let the workload fool you, however. Red Dead Redemption 2’s development shows that the studio has no qualms about developing large scale projects while supporting its current products and services. Now that the majority of the heavy lifting on Red Dead is done, the studio will undoubtedly move onto a new project while produce back-end content for Red Dead’s online mode. We might see a teaser in the next year or so, but don’t expect to get your hands on the game for at least two years minimum.

Bully 2 Platforms

The original Bully launched as a PlayStation 2 exclusive back in 2006, but the days of Rockstar/Sony exclusivity ended long ago with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. The financial lure of opening up its titles to Xbox and PC proved too strong, so any new installment in the Bully franchise will undoubtedly launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with a PC release coming sometime later. The Nintendo Switch will likely be left out once again due to both the technical specifications of the console and the cultural clash between Rockstar’s games and Nintendo’s sensibilities. That being said, if any Rockstar franchise could bridge that gap, it would be Bully.

Bully 2 Trailers

Much like a predicted release date, any chance of seeing what is in store for a Bully sequel is relatively far off. The soonest fans could see a teaser trailer would be next year, but such a reveal will more likely be reserved for a date closer to the game’s release date. Rockstar has shown their preference recently to reveal new titles within a calendar year of the title’s release, much like their handling of Red Dead Redemption 2. If Bully 2 is announced, expect a setting-heavy teaser exploring the rumored college campus setting and the introduction of an older Jimmy Hopkins or a new protagonist.

Bully 2 Gameplay

The original Bully was a third-person action-adventure game set in the open world town of Bullworth. Players controlled Jimmy Hopkins — a new student at the town’s Bullworth Academy — throughout the game. Hopkins is a 15-year old high school student and a rebellious one at that. The game is structured similarly to a Grand Theft Auto title, with missions and activities littering the world. Players can go to classes to unlock new abilities.

Bully 2 will likely retain a similar perspective and world design as the original game. It will probably eschew closer to Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 with a heavy emphasis on interactions and detail. The first Bully was well regarded for the game’s smaller open world, as it was more intricately designed than Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series at the time. Bully 2 will take that to another level.

The developers might be sticking with protagonist Jimmy Hopkins as he grows older and finds himself further along in his studies. It could also be set after he leaves school, or eschew Hopkins for a different character entirely. The main character could influence gameplay for Bully 2 immensely, with things like driving as a possibility depending on age.

Bully 2 Multiplayer

The first Bully had multiplayer in the form of a one-on-one minigame competition. The arcade games used for the multiplayer were found in the main single-player story and then packaged into a competitive versus mode. Bully 2 could do something similar or drop multiplayer altogether — although that seems unlikely.

The developers at Rockstar have developed an affinity to online multiplayer since Grand Theft Auto IV and more recently Grand Theft Auto Online. The latter released with GTA V in 2013 and has continued to be one of the most successful online games. GTA Online has kept GTA V in the best-sellers list since it came out and has made Rockstar millions upon millions. The upcoming Red Dead Online looks like it will take the core concepts of GTA Online and package it in a new setting, Bully 2 could do something similar.

Bully 2 online could come as an open-world experience where players engage in various activities in and around a school. They can go to classes for perks and experience, get into trouble, pull pranks, or other activities. Bully 2 online would take the successful GTA Online experience and shrink it into an incredibly deep microcosm of a world.

Bully 2: Sequel, Prequel, Reboot, or Spiritual Successor?

The biggest question going into a Bully 2 is how related it is to the first game. The game could be set during Hopkins’ college years, or further into his life. Bully developers Rockstar Vancouver have been working with the other Rockstar studios on Red Dead Redemption 2, and before that game was heavily involved in 2012’s Max Payne 3. Leaked concept art supposedly from Bully 2 production shows a few snowy roads and some character art. The characters are significantly older than the high school students of Bully and might suggest it is set further on in Hopkins’ life.