No Bully on Xbox?
Total Video Games is reporting that Rockstar has opted not to publish its upcoming Bully on the Xbox.
If true, the controversial game will be a PS2 exclusive. As explained by TVG, the cancellation fits in with an industry trend to scale down Xbox game development efforts. Makes sense, nearly a year into the life cycle of the Xbox 360, successor to the original Xbox.
Since the decision was made by Rockstar, the cancellation of the Xbox version of Bully would appear to have nothing at all to do with an ultimatum issued to Microsoft's Bill Gates by Miami Attorney Jack Thompson about this time last year. Thompson, of course, has been the planet's most vocal critic of Bully for some time. Here's the text of his August, 2005 letter to the World's Richest Man:
Dear Mr. Gates:
You have fifty-four (54) days in which to stop the release of Bully on XBox.
Govern yourself accordingly.
Sincerely, Jack Thompson
That was, ummm... 358 days ago.
By the way, if TVG has the story right, major retailers haven't yet gotten the word. Amazon and GameStop both have the Xbox version available for pre-order on their websites.