If there's one thing I enjoy more than galavanting around a fictionalized version of Los Angeles while partaking in all manner of immoral behavior on GTA Online, it's discovering a conspiracy theory that carries just enough substance to get the internet buzzing with speculation. Fortunately for me, those two things intersect more often than one might think.
In what is likely just the latest instance of someone at Rockstar trolling us, GTA Online's recent update not only adds a fully-featured Casino & Resort for players to gamble away their hard-earned blood money, but it also provides new housing options in the form of luxury penthouses that feature all manner of decorative accessories and furniture to personalize with. One such decoration - a crudely drawn painting that features some obscured, yet familiar elements - has caught the attention of several keen-eyed players.
While not being especially interesting (or well drawn for that matter) without proper context, this particular piece of art depicts some symbolism that is strikingly similar to that of one of Rockstar's previous games - Bully. It's a decidedly crude interpretation of the Bullworth Academy's coat-of-arms, but the likeness is unmistakable
If you didn't know, the Bullworth Academy is the fictional boarding school Bully's protagonist is forced into at the onset of the game, and plays host to the majority of the game's events. It's an interesting pull, especially when you consider that it's been 13 years since Bully released on the Playstation 2. As if the visual evidence wasn't enough to convince us that the artwork was done intentionally, the painting in question is named "Canis Candem Edit", which is the latin phrase inscribed on the Bullworth Academy's coat-of-arms. It means "Dog Eat Dog", and also happens to be what the UK version of Bully was named after some drama forced the publisher to change it.
Naturally, we can't write this off as simply being one artist's subtle tribute to a classic Rockstar game. Absolutely not, it has to mean something more. It had to have been strategically placed there to let us know that a Bully sequel is in the works. At least, that is what a handful of truth-seekers on Reddit are speculating.
The rabbit hole goes a little bit deeper over on the Bully 2 subreddit, with some going as far as to claim that certain dots placed throughout the painting are actually morse code that is meant to be deciphered in order to reveal more details. I don't understand it, but I love it, and I think I'm enjoying watching this hunt for the "truth" unfold more so than I ever did playing the first Bully.
Only time will tell if this was an attempt at subversively leaking Bully 2's development, or, more than likely, just a fun little easter egg aimed at letting players know that the company is also a fan of its games just as much as they are.
