Dan Houser Explains Why Bully 2 Never Happened

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser has finally shed light on why we never got a sequel to Bully, the 2006 cult classic that fans have been asking about for nearly two decades.

Speaking at LA Comic Con in an interview with IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey, Houser admitted the reason was far less dramatic than many might have expected. It all came down to what he called “bandwidth issues.”

Houser explained that Rockstar’s creative leadership team at the time was relatively small, and with limited resources, they simply couldn’t take on every project they wanted.

“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 said.

For fans who’ve been holding out hope for Bully 2, that answer might feel frustrating, but it does provide some clarity after years of speculation.

Released in 2006, Bully stood out from Rockstar’s other big franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Instead of sprawling cities or wild frontiers, players stepped into the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins, a rebellious teen navigating life at Bullworth Academy. The game was praised for its humor, storytelling, and unique setting, though it also stirred controversy at the time. Despite its popularity and critical acclaim, a sequel never materialized, leaving fans to wonder what could have been.

With the game’s 20th anniversary coming up next year, fans are already speculating whether Rockstar might revisit Jimmy Hopkins’ story in the form of a remaster or remake.

For now, Rockstar itself is fully focused on Grand Theft Auto 6, which is now scheduled to launch on May 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Since leaving Rockstar in 2020, Houser has been busy building his new studio, Absurd Ventures. The company has already announced two narrative “universes” — American Caper and A Better Paradise — which are being developed as transmedia projects, starting with a graphic novel and a podcast.