Rockstar Co-Founder: Bully 2 never happened because of "bandwidth issues"

During Los Angeles Comic Con 2025, Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser addressed community demands for a Bully sequel in a candid interview. Houser mentioned that a sequel to Bully never came to fruition due to resource constraints at the studio.

Dan Houser spoke to IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey on September 27, where he looked back on 2006’s Bully and its resounding success. The game took a satirical deep dive into high school life through the eyes of a rebellious Jimmy Hopkins. When Houser was pressed on why Rockstar never returned to the world of Bully despite years of demand, Houser plainly responded, “I think it was just bandwidth issues. You know, if you got a small creative lead team and a small senior leadership crew, you just can’t do all the projects you want.”

Rockstar has always been under a ton of pressure to exceed expectations ever since the success of their hit IP, Grand Theft Auto, and Red Dead Redemption, and these franchises took precedence over smaller-scale ideas like a Bully sequel.

Houser explained that there were a lot of challenges in balancing multiple high-stakes projects with limited oversight. He further added, drawing a parallel with his current studio endeavors, “And you know, we certainly– how we’re structured at (Houser’s current studio) 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?”

Houser departed from Rockstar in 2020 after co-founding the company in 1998 alongside his brother Sam. He channeled his experiences into Absurd Ventures in 2021, which is currently working on a 12-issue crime-fiction graphic novel, American Caper, which will debut on November 12, 2025. A Better Paradise, which began as a podcast, will soon follow up with a novel.

Meanwhile, back at Rockstar, the studio is laser-focused on what could be the biggest industry release in gaming history. Grand Theft Auto VI is slated for release on May 26, 2026, on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X, with a PC version planned for a later release date.

Unfortunately, Houser isn’t involved in GTA VI’s development, but he’s optimistic about the game’s success. He stated, “So I think the world’s probably had enough GTA for me. I think it’s, you know, there’s always a new story. So it’s not going to be a story that I wrote or a character set that I developed. I think it’s going to be exciting. The game will be great, I’m sure.”

Buy Bully: Scholarship Edition on Amazon