Considering how fans deliver what the studios won’t, it may be only a matter of time before Rockstar and Take-Two lose patience…

Bully 2 remains a dream for Rockstar fans, with slim chances of happening. Rockstar’s former co-founder Dan Houser recently explained that the project was canceled due to “bandwidth issues” within management. Given the time required to finish Grand Theft Auto VI, a revival seems unlikely. Still, the school sim is about to be reborn: thanks to a team of modders, Bully is getting an online mode—much like GTA Online was for Grand Theft Auto V.

Bully Online opens up Bullworth for ongoing multiplayer adventures and adds a suite of systems to Rockstar’s virtual playground. These include an RPG layer, a player-driven inventory, and a trading system to earn cash and spend it on houses, weapons, and vehicles. The mod also adds several minigames, some delightfully unhinged. The strangest is Rat Wars, a multiplayer deathmatch centered on the game’s rodent population, whisking players to a pocket dimension where they control rats and blast each other with pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles. Another new minigame is racing, where you can kitbash custom rides from shopping carts, go-karts, junkers, and more.

The project is led by Swegta and built using the DSL script-loader plug-in. What seemed impossible a few years ago—like true online play—is now feasible. The team already runs a Bully Online server, opening in December to Ko-Fi subscribers. The plan is to open it to everyone later, though subscribers get perks like dev updates, custom nameplate colors, and priority access when the server fills up.

The initial subscription model has sparked concerns about Rockstar’s potential legal response, given its history of taking down certain mods. Since the announcement, Swegta has tried to reassure fans, stressing that a legal copy of the game is required and that no game files are distributed. We’ll soon see where Rockstar lands on this.

Source: PCGamer