THE MAKING OF BULLY

ORIGINALLY RELEASED AS CANIS CANEM EDIT, BULLY TELLS A STORY OF AUTHORITY, ORDER AND DEFIANCE. BEHIND THE SCENES, SIMILAR TENSIONS WERE PLAYING OUT BETWEEN THE INTENSELY DEMANDING ROCKSTAR GAMES HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK AND THEIR OVERWORKED DEVELOPMENT TEAM IN VANCOUVER, WHO WERE PUSHED TO BREAKING POINT

- WORDS BY SEAN COLE

Throughout Rockstar Games' rise to prominence, it played by its own rules, for better or worse. Unapologetically brash and ambitious, its cavalier attitude towards established conventions helped to reinvent the possibilities of gaming and turn it into a major cultural force. But Rockstar's pursuit of greatness often involved a gruelling workload that caused upset too. The creation of Bully was no exception.

“The memories of it are love-hate. It was a fun, weird, hellish, chaotic, awesome time,” says Andrew Wood, one of just two environment artists at Rockstar Vancouver who stayed to see the game through to completion. “I reflect back fondly on the people and the times and the crazy things we did after hours, but then I think about the stress!”

Multiple people involved in making Bully were asked to discuss their experiences for this article, but most were reluctant to do so, especially on record. Their perspectives have still informed this account. In general, they were proud of the game, but uncomfortable with the conditions they worked under. “It was brutal at times, especially near the end,” says Andrew. “We were working seven days a week, averaging eighteen-hour days. It just burned people out. We had a lot of turnover, but I decided to stay because I just knew the project was going to be something different and something special. I love the game, and I love the fact that, almost 20 years later, people are still cherishing it.”