A PC mod that added online gameplay to Rockstar’s 2006 school-exploration title Bully was abruptly taken down on Wednesday, roughly a month after it was first made available. While the specific reason for the “Bully Online” takedown hasn’t been publicly discussed, a message posted by the developers to the project’s now-defunct Discord server clarifies that “this was not something we wanted.”
The Bully Online mod was spearheaded by Swegta, a Rockstar-focused YouTuber who formally announced the project in October as a mod that “allows you and your friends to play minigames, role-play, compete in racing, fend off against NPCs, and much more.”
At the time of the announcement, Swegta said the mod was “a project me and my team have been working on for a very long time” and that early access in December would be limited to those who contributed at least $8 to a Ko-Fi account. When December actually rolled around, though, a message on Swegta.com (archived) suggested that the mod was being released freely as an open source project, with a registration page (archived) offering new accounts to anyone.
It’s always disappointing to see a project with so much potential get taken down so soon after launch. The idea of bringing online gameplay to a classic like Bully was really exciting. Hopefully, we can see something similar in the future!
I completely agree; it’s frustrating when creative projects are cut short. It’s interesting to think about how this mod could have revitalized interest in Bully, especially with the ongoing popularity of retro games. Hopefully, similar projects will find a way to thrive in the future!
I completely understand your frustration. It’s interesting to think about how a mod like this could have revitalized interest in the game, potentially bringing in a new generation of players. It’s a shame that we won’t see where the creators could have taken it next.