Bully Online mod to shut down less than a month after launch

Kotaku reports that Bully Online, a fan-made mod that added online multiplayer to Rockstar’s Bully, is shutting down less than a month after its December 15 PC launch.

Developed by Fat Pigeon and led by Bully creator Swegta, the mod introduced mini-games, multiplayer activities, custom vehicles and competitive racing. On January 14, the project’s Discord posted that the mod would be shut down “forever” in 24 hours; the announcement, as seen in a message shared by TheNathanNS on Twitter, said the team would stop developing new content and scripts, remove the source code and webpages, and wipe all account data while leaving servers available for the next 24 hours.

No clear reason has been given. The Discord messages state “For now though, know this was not something we wanted,” and Swegta said he will post a video on January 21 with more explanation. Many fans are blaming Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive, but the developers have not provided a definitive cause, and Kotaku said it did not hear back from Swegta or Rockstar before publication; the creator’s website now reads, “The Bully Online project is shutting down. Thank you all for playing.”

Key Topics

Culture, Bully Online, Bully, Rockstar Games, Take-two Interactive, Swegta