Bully Online Mod Creators Regret Forced Project Shutdown
A group of volunteer modders, known as Fat Pigeon Development, recently announced the permanent shutdown of their Bully Online project. This online mode aimed to enhance Rockstar’s classic title, *Bully*, allowing players to engage in minigames, roleplay, racing, and combat against NPCs. Initially launched last month, the project garnered excitement from fans of the game.
Bully Project Shuts Down
The shutdown announcement came via Discord. The team shared, “Bully Online is shutting down forever, which unfortunately means all the following is going to happen in 24 hours.” This included the server’s closure, an end to the development of scripts, and the removal of all associated webpages and Discord channels. Additionally, all user data was set to be permanently erased.
Background of the *Bully* Game
Reasons Behind the Shutdown
- The shutdown was attributed to pressures from Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
- Take-Two has a history of shutting down fan-made projects, particularly after acquiring modding teams for *Grand Theft Auto V*.
- Concerns were raised regarding Rockstar’s new marketplace for mods, which could have conflicted with the free distribution of Bully Online.
Many fans expressed frustration about the shutdown, suggesting that the new CFX marketplace, which introduced paywalls for mods, influenced the decision. Some commenters believed the project faced issues as it had a paywall for early access, which is often criticized in the modding community.
Future of *Bully* Franchise
Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games, recently addressed the future of the *Bully* franchise. In an interview, he explained that *Bully 2* was never developed due to “bandwidth issues” within the company.
