Bully Online, a mod that added online multiplayer to Rockstar’s classic open-world game, is shutting down less than a month after launch. The creators haven’t explained why yet, but fans are already blaming Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, for the sudden demise of the project.
Developed by Fat Pigeon, a collection of modders and fans, and led by Bully content creator Swegta, Bully Online took years to develop and launched on PC on December 15. The mod added new content like mini-games, multiplayer activities, custom vehicles, and competitive racing. Fans were excited to check it out, especially as the original Bully didn’t include online multiplayer and Rockstar seems unwilling to make a sequel or remaster anytime soon. But now, not long after it was released, the mod is shutting down.
On January 14, a message was posted to the official Bully Online Discord server announcing that the mod will be shut down “forever” in 24 hours. According to the Discord announcement, as seen in a message shared by TheNathanNS on Twitter, the devs are stopping development of new content and scripts for the mod, removing the source code from the main site, and deleting any webpages connected to the mod, as well as wiping all account data connected to the project. The modders say players can hop on and enjoy Bully Online for the next 24 hours until the servers are completely wiped and deleted for good.
Why is Bully Online shutting down?
As for why Bully Online is being killed, nobody involved has provided a clear answer. On Discord, the announcement does make it clear that this wasn’t what the modders had planned, saying, “For now though, know this was not something we wanted.” The messages also promise that Swegta will be posting a video in the near future explaining more.
Many fans are already blaming Rockstar and/or Take-Two Interactive, companies that have a long track record of screwing with and shutting down fan projects and mods. But it should be noted that at the moment, we don’t know for sure what happened.
Kotaku has contacted both Swegta and Rockstar Games for more information, but didn’t hear back from either before publication.
Swegta himself also confirmed the news on Twitter, posting on Wednesday that he will make a “proper statement on the situation” on January 21. On the creator’s website, a new message was added that states: “The Bully Online project is shutting down. Thank you all for playing.”
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