Update []:
Bully's fan-made online mod is "shutting down forever", according to its developers.
The news was published in a Discord post (reshared on Twitter/X below by the Rockstar news YouTuber @TheNathanNS), with the developers stating the server would be pulled offline, development stopped, the source code removed, and all webpages referencing the mod removed.
In the statement, no official reason was given for why the project was being shut down, though the developer who made the statement suggested, "This is not something we wanted".
Between this and the removal of everything, including webpages, it looks extremely likely that a representative for Rockstar has reached out to offer the team a legal warning.
At the moment, the project lead, SWEGTA, has yet to comment on the removal, but in the same Discord message, it was stated that he will be making a comment shortly in a video set to be posted on his YouTube channel. This is apparently planned to go live on January 21st.
Here's the comment in full:
Hiya @everyone, coming with sad news today. The Bully Online project is shutting down forever, which unfortunately means all the following is going to happen in 24 hours: our official Bully Online server (on swegta.com) will be shutdown, development of scripts for Bully Online will stop, the source code will be removed from swegta.com, all our webpages referring to it will be removed, the launcher downloads will taken down, and all Bully Online account data will be permanently deleted.
Why is this happening?This will be covered in more detail by @SWEGTA when his video announcement comes up. For now, though, know this was not something we wanted.
What's next?
Over the next 24 hours, you are free to play on the server. It's suggested you get on and get your final screenshots, and backup any memories you want to keep. All the bully online Discord channels in this server will also be deleted (but swegtalk itself is obviously staying).
Original Story []: Given Rockstar is currently heads down finishing Grand Theft Auto VI, it doesn't seem likely that we're going to get a follow-up to the publisher's 2006 school-based action adventure title Bully anytime soon.
But for those who have been looking for a brand new reason to go gallivanting around the hallways of Bullworth Academy or skateboarding around its surrounding environment, it doesn't appear to be all bad news; that's because fans have been cooking up something interesting in the meantime to keep Bully fans engaged.
Bully Online was recently unveiled in a new video, entitled "BULLY Online is FINALLY Here", from the Rockstar Games fan and Bully YouTuber SWEGTA, and is pretty much exactly what you expect based on its title. It is a new online multiplayer mod for the PC version of Bully Scholarship Edition that seeks to introduce multiplayer gameplay to the classic Rockstar open-world title, letting players get up to all kinds of mischief and role-play with their friends, including earning money and purchasing their own custom vehicles.
In addition to this, a bunch of multiplayer minigames were also demonstrated in the footage shown, where you'll be able to earn even more cash from competing in a set of races or a first-person shooter mode featuring gigantic firearm-wielding rats named Rat Wars.
Speaking about the mod, in the video on his channel, SWEGTA stated that the game has been worked on by himself and "a small team" for a long time now, and is almost ready to see the light of day. He also went on to state that it runs on the DSL script loader, which is a plug-in that allows modders to take a more versatile approach to modifying the game's files and achieve things that would have been considered "impossible" just a few years ago.
Right now, the plan for the launch of the mod is to release it initially in Early Access this December, for those who support the developers on Ko-Fi — backers will also receive other benefits such as behind-the-scenes content (videos, images, dev commentary), a special blue player nametag, an in-game digital camera, and server joining priority. Following that, the game will then be given a wider release.
It all looks incredibly promising from what we can see, but we can't help but feel the mod has been revealed a little bit prematurely, considering Take-Two and Rockstar are typically quite proactive in sending out cease and desist letters for projects they feel are infringing upon their properties. Considering the game also seems to be soliciting funds from players for access, it also seems like the project is painting a pretty large target on its back. We're happy to be proven wrong, though.