The original Bully for the PlayStation 2 was as iconic of a game as the console it released on. Rockstar Games was riding high on the success of the original GTA trilogy, and they wanted to do something different for 2006. Safe to say, they got things right again.
Bully Anniversary Edition trailer screencap
But after that, the Bully franchise has never seen a sequel, even a proper remaster or remake. So fans took it upon themselves this time to reimagine Bullworth Academy using the modern visuals of Unreal Engine 5, as reported by DualShockers. The fan-made Bully remake is a project of YouTube channel TeaserPlay, and it looks absolutely flipping amazing:
Aside from the wonky facial animations and Jimmy Hopkins looking like he has an adult's face in a kid's body, the fan-made Bully remake is everything you'd expect from a full on reconstruction of the classic PS2 title. Unreal Engine 5's insane visual quality is once again taking center stage, showcasing the possibilities of more remakes using it in the future.
Among the biggest next-gen visual updates in this Bully remake, as per TeaserPlay, is ray tracing. You can see this in the game's reflections and shadows, which look incredibly lifelike and takes the visual fidelity to a whole new level. Aside from that, the remake also makes full use of Unreal Engine 5's Lumen lighting and Nanite textures, as well as the Metahuman face and character creator for the characters themselves.
If you want to play the concept, however, TeaserPlay makes it clear that they don't have plans to release it to the public ever. This is also true of their other Unreal Engine 5 remake projects, which has made them a name on YouTube in recent times.
Bully has taken a backseat to Rockstar Games' far bigger projects in recent years. Case in point, Red Dead Redemption and GTA.So you'd do well to understand that Rockstar knows where its bread is buttered; though this fan remake does make one think of the possibility of an official one down the line.
Read also: RUMOR: Someone Might Be Making A Black Panther Game
Rumors Of A Bully Sequel
So, enough of the fan-made remake (or hopes for an official one) at this point. What about Bully 2?
Earlier this year, rumors were floating around saying Rockstar could be at work on a sequel. According to GamesRadar, the first talks of Bully 2 came way back in 2009 (three years after the original game's launch). It came from the original composer of Bully's music, Shawn Lee, who said in an interview that he'll be working on the sequel's music "in the not so distant future" (via the Wayback Machine).
But fast forward to 2022, and a newer rumor might not be something that fans of the franchise want to hear. As originally reported by Game Informer back in January, Rockstar Games revealed that Bully 2 was originally canceled in favor of Max Payne 3 and the first Red Dead Redemption game. According to the team, there were plans to make Bully 2 on the same level as the GTA franchise, as it was designed to be far bigger and deeper than the original PS2 game.
For now, the ball is in Rockstar's and parent company Take-Two's court.
Related: 'Bully 2' Could Still Be In Development, According To Renowned Leaker
