Blake Hester of Game Informer posted a report on Bully 2 This may be the cause of the failure of the studio to develop the sequel. In short, Rockstar New England has been pushed in multiple directions so that Bully 2 is no longer the focus of developers working there.
Rockstar New England was acquired by Rockstar. At the time, the former was Mad Doc Software and was responsible for the next-generation remake of the first Bully at the time. Ambitious plans for the sequel were made. This is a larger and more distinctive game that can be compared with It goes hand in hand with LA Noire and Grand Theft Auto 4 as a grand promotional film worthy of the Rockstar name.
However, this is not the case, because the studio was pulled in multiple directions, was asked to assist projects such as Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3, and was immersed in the austerity culture brought about by these games. This led to the departure of many developers from Rockstar New England, but the studio was also hit by layoffs, ensuring that Bully 2 would not see the light again. This was also a shame, because the game was “playable for six to eight hours”, even though it could not be shipped at the time.
Black’s report is a good book, it provides insight into the ambitions of a studio seeking to prove itself. This is not just about the downfall of the studio, but about the good part of development, the creative side of things. This is a comprehensive understanding of high-level events happening in the game studio.
At the same time, Rockstar is in a state of constant change. Grand Theft Auto Online achieved amazing success, but the GTA Trilogy remake was ultimately a disaster. Crunch has also been an ongoing theme around developers, but hopefully it is taking steps to solve this problem.