The Bully Online project, a fan-made online mode for Rockstar's classic game Bully, is shutting down permanently after only a month of being live. The development team released a statement on Discord announcing the closure due to unidentified reasons, emphasizing that it was not a decision they wanted to make. This follow-up comes after Take-Two Interactive's history of shutting down fan projects, especially amid the launch of its own modding marketplace. Some fans speculate that the closure is linked to this new platform, while others express disappointment over the project having an early access paywall. Rockstar has also previously stated that a potential sequel, Bully 2, was scrapped due to resource limitations.

Why was Bully Online shut down?

Bully Online was shut down due to unexplained reasons linked to Rockstar's ownership and possible conflicts with their new modding marketplace, leading to speculation about profit motives and dissatisfaction in the modding community.

Bully, originally released in 2006, is a comedic action-adventure game centered on the misadventures of high school student Jimmy Hopkins at a private school called Bullworth Academy. Notably, Bully received a significant amount of attention over the years for its unique blend of humor and gameplay, prompting many fans to rally for a sequel. Although a follow-up, Bully 2 was rumored to be in development, it ultimately remained unproduced, with elements later assimilated into other popular Rockstar titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2.