GAME · 2006 · CANADA
Bully
- Developer
- Rockstar Vancouver, Rockstar New England, Rockstar Toronto
- Platforms
- Wii, Microsoft Windows, Nvidia Shield TV, Shield Tablet
93 archived facts 6 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
93 Interesting Facts About Bully
Interesting Facts (61)
- #001
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During the mission "Showdown at the Plant" (the penultimate mission in story mode), there's was a alternate ending in which if the player lost the final fight against Edgar Munsen, a cinematic would appear where he killed Jimmy by throwing him into the acid pit they were fighting over. This would make him the only character to successfully assassinate Jimmy. This was cut before the game was released, but some of Edgar Munsen's deleted dialog is hidden on the game disc.
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The game initially received an M rating from the ESRB because of strong language; in the beta version, the taunts and insults the player's character could use against NPCs were much harsher and contained sharper language aimed at adults. Although some M-rated profanity went unused, the game initially included taunts written for a specific NPC that could target weight, height, gender, personal problems and rumors about that one NPC. For example, Jimmy Hopkins could tell a depressed NPC "just end it all, nobody will miss you," or say "I have some rope in my dorm if you'd like to use it tonight," or make jokes to cheerleaders about abortion and sexually transmitted diseases. After receiving a warning from the ESRB, which considered these insults too obscene for a T-rated game, most of these insults and taunts were replaced with more harmless language such as "you lame jerk" and "you lousy baby" to appease the ratings board. If you access the game files of the PC version, the original dialogue lines can still be accessed and inserted into the game.
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When Earnest begins displaying his presidential campaign banners all over the school at the start of the game, they resemble a variation of Nazi Germany (Third Reich) banners from World War II. Ernest's banners are green instead of red, and the "E" in the center of the white circle resembles an abbreviated swastika.
- #017
Although the location of Bullworth has always been a popular debate among fans, unused dialogue in the game's opening cutscene indicates that the game is set in New Hampshire, with a character saying, "it's a long walk to Dixville Notch, and that's the nearest town!" Dixville Notch is located in northern New Hampshire.
- #018
- #019
During the mission "Showdown at the Plant" (the penultimate mission in story mode), if the player lost the final fight against Edgar Munsen, an alternate ending would play in which Edgar kills Jimmy by throwing him into the acid pit they were fighting over. This would have made him the only character to successfully assassinate Jimmy. It was cut before the game's release, but some of Edgar Munsen's deleted dialogue was hidden on the game disc.
- #020
German actor and director Michael Herbig, also known in Germany by the nickname "Bully," filed a lawsuit against the game in 2008. Claiming that a violent game could harm his personality rights, he sought to have its sales stopped nationwide. The court later dismissed the case, stating that the game did not harm his personality rights in any way.
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- #030
The game initially received an M rating for its strong language; in the beta version, the character's insults toward NPCs were far harsher and aimed at adults. For example, Jimmy could tell a depressed NPC, 'finish the job, nobody will miss you,' or 'there's rope in the dorm, you can use it tonight,' and could make abortion and STD jokes to the cheerleaders. After an ESRB warning, these lines were replaced with more innocent phrases like 'you silly goose'; the original dialogue, however, is still in the PC version's files.
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- #044
Rockstar planned for the player to participate more in life at Bullworth Academy; clubs such as chess, computers, newspaper, photography and theater, and sports tryouts such as football, wrestling and basketball were considered. Ideas like Jimmy training and playing a match against the rival school, forming long-term relationships with NPCs, and making best friends through a respect system were shelved because the PlayStation 2's memory was insufficient; however, some sports missions, yearbook photography and flirting made it into the game in simplified form.
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- #048
The game was initially given an M rating by the ESRB because of strong language; in the beta version, the taunts and insults your character could use against NPCs were much harsher and contained sharper language aimed at adults. Although some of the M-rated profanity was not used, the game initially included taunts written for a specific NPC that could target weight, height, gender, personal problems and rumors aimed at that one NPC. For example, Jimmy Hopkins could tell a depressed NPC "just end it all, nobody will miss you," or say "I have some rope in my dorm if you'd like to use it tonight," or make jokes to cheerleaders about abortion and sexually transmitted diseases. After receiving a warning from the ESRB, which considered these insults too obscene for a T-rated game, most of these insults and taunts were replaced with more harmless language such as "you lame jerk" and "you lousy baby" in order to appease the ratings board. If you access the game files of the PC version, the original dialogue lines can still be accessed and inserted into the game.
- #049
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- #051
When Earnest starts displaying his presidential campaign banners all over the school at the beginning of the game, they resemble a variation of the Nazi Germany (Third Reich) banners from World War II. Ernest's banners are green instead of red, and the "E" in the center of the white circle resembles an abbreviated swastika.
- #052
- #053
Although Bullworth's location has always been a popular debate among fans, unused dialogue in the game's opening cutscene, along with a character who says the game's setting is in New Hampshire and that "it's a long walk to Dixville Notch, and that's the nearest town!" indicates that Dixville Notch is located in northern New Hampshire.
- #054
During the "Showdown at the Plant" mission (the penultimate mission in story mode), if the player lost the final fight against Edgar Munsen, there was an alternate ending in which a cutscene appeared in which he killed Jimmy by throwing him into the acid pit they were fighting over. This would make him the only character to successfully assassinate Jimmy. This was cut before the game was released, but some of Edgar Munsen's deleted dialogue was hidden on the game disc.
- #055
German actor and director Michael Herbig, also known in Germany by the nickname "Bully," filed a lawsuit against this game in 2008. Claiming that a violent game could harm his personality rights, he demanded that sales be halted nationwide. The lawsuit was later rejected by the court, which stated that the game would not harm his personality rights in any way.
- #056
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Early in development, Rockstar planned for the player to be far more involved in school life at Bullworth Academy, including several different clubs and extracurricular activities the player could voluntarily sign up for. Some of these clubs included chess club, computer club, the newspaper, photography and theater. This also included the opportunity to try various sports at Bullworth, including football, wrestling, basketball and track. Being on one of these teams would force Jimmy to practice several times a week before competing in a game against a rival school, with gameplay possibly similar to EA's Madden games. Jimmy could also form long-term relationships with NPCs of the player's choosing, similar to Rockstar's own idea for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In addition, the player could choose a best friend from any NPC at the school and, through a "respect"-based leveling system, gradually add more best friends. Many of these ideas were abandoned because the PlayStation 2 did not have the memory to handle such complex ideas; however, some, such as sports-based levels, annual photography and dating, made it into the final game in much simpler forms than originally planned.
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Production Story (16)
- #062
German actor and director Michael Herbig, who is also known in Germany under his nickname "Bully", filed a lawsuit against this game in 2008. He claimed that a violent game could hurt his personality rights and demanded a nationwide sales stop. The case was later dismissed by the court, stating that this game wouldn't hurt his personality rights at all.
- #063
While originally in development, Rockstar planned for the player to be much more involved in school life at Bulworth Academy, which included several different clubs and non-curricular activities that the player could sign up for at their own free will. Some of these clubs included the chess club, the computer club, newspaper, photography, and theater, among others. This also included the ability to try out for various sports at Bulworth, which included football, wrestling, basketball, and track & field. Being on one of these teams would force Jimmy to train several times a week before competing in a game against a rival school with gameplay style likely similar to that of EA's Madden games. Jimmy could also engage in long-term relationships with NPC's of the player's choosing, similar to an idea from Rockstar's own Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. With this, the player could also pick a best friend from any NPC of the school's cliques, adding more and more best friends through a "respect" based leveling system. Most of these ideas were abandoned simply because the Playstation 2 did not have the memory to process such complex ideas, though some of them did make it into the final game in ways that were much more stripped down than initially planned, such as some sports-based levels, yearbook photography, and flirting.
- #064
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- #066
The game was originally given an M-rating by the ESRB due to strong language; the taunts and insults your character could use towards NPC's in the beta version were much harsher and featured edgier adult language. Despite not using certain M-rated swear words, the game originally featured taunts that were written for a specific NPC and could target weight, height, gender, personal problems, and rumors targeting that sole NPC. For example, Jimmy Hopkins could tell a depressed NPC "just end it all, nobody will miss you" or say "I have some rope in my dorm if you'd like to use it tonight", or could make jokes about abortions and STD's to cheerleaders. After getting warnings from the ESRB, who felt these insults were too suggestive for a T-rated game, many of these insults and taunts were replaced with more harmless language, such as "you lame jerk" and "you lousy baby" as an attempt to appease the rating board. The original lines of dialogue and still be accessed and placed into the game if you access the PC version's game files.
- #067
Although Bullworth's location has always been a popular debate with fans, unused dialog for the game's opening cutscene state the game's setting is in New Hampshire, with a character saying "it's a long walk to Dixville Notch, and that's the nearest town!" Dixville Notch is located in northern New Hampshire.
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- #077
Originally, during development, Rockstar planned for the player to be much more involved in school life at Bullworth Academy, including several different clubs and extracurricular activities the player could voluntarily sign up for. Some of these clubs included chess club, computer club, newspaper, photography and theater. This also included the chance to try various sports at Bullworth, including football, wrestling, basketball and track. Being on one of these teams would have forced Jimmy to practice several times a week before competing in a game against a rival school, possibly with gameplay similar to EA's Madden games. Jimmy could also form long-term relationships with NPCs of the player's choosing, similar to Rockstar's own idea for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The player could pick a best friend from any NPC at the school and add more and more best friends through a "respect"-based leveling system. Most of these ideas were abandoned because the PlayStation 2 did not have the memory to handle such complex ideas; however, some, such as sports-based levels, the yearbook photography and dating, made it into the final game in much simpler forms than originally planned.
Behind the Scenes (2)
Characters & Cast (4)
Easter Eggs & References (9)
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When Earnest starts displaying his presidential campaign banners throughout the school in the beginning of the game, they resemble a variation of the Nazi Germany (Third Reich) banners from WWII. Ernest's banners are green instead of red & the "E" in the middle of the white circle resembles a shortened swastika.
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Deeper Meaning (1)
Sources & editorial notes
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Bully (video game) — Wikipedia
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