Earlier this month Take-Two Interactive filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a brand new trademark for Rockstar Games’ PlayStation 2 classic, Bully. While nothing has been confirmed, the new trademark has provided a glimmer of hope that fans will finally get a sequel to the 2006 open world title.
As discovered by GameSpot, the new Bully trademark was filed on July 25, 2013, and covers everything from “video game programs and software,” to “multimedia files, live action programs”, and (interestingly enough) “providing information, news and commentary in the field of computer games and video games.”
I suppose that last bit could be interpreted to mean that the entire video game press has now officially violated Take-Two’s new Bully trademark.
At any rate, this new filing represents the fourth Bully trademark since the original game’s launch — the other three are for the software itself, clothing, and printed materials. The fact that it is a new application seems to indicate that Take-Two is at least kicking around the idea of doing something else with the beloved IP.
The last time we saw anything Bully related come out of Take-Two was in 2008 when the game was ported to the Xbox 360, Wii (as Bully: Scholarship Edition, which is the version that I personally recommend), and PC. Outside of those three ports, the only other official reference to the IP comes from Rockstar Games’ Dan Houser, who said the following in 2011:
“So we knew that we didn’t want to start doing the Bully sequel instantly at that second with those guys [Rockstar Vancouver]– even though it is a property that, like [Max Payne], we adore and might come back to in the future. There was just no impetus to do that then. So we said, ‘You can do [Max Payne 3], and then we will see what we can do with Bully.'”
With Max Payne 3 officially in the can and a shiny new Bully trademark application filed, the stage seems to be set for Rockstar to start work on the long-overdue Bully 2.
We will keep an eye out for any word on what is going on with the Bully IP, and let you know as soon as anything is made official. In the meantime let us know your thoughts on what you would like to see in a potential sequel in the comments below. Should it star a new protagonist, or would you prefer to see an older Jimmy Hopkins take on college life Animal House-style?