Crowdfunded Bully spiritual sequel canceled, servers closed

An independent studio announced Tuesday it is canceling its crowdfunded spiritual sequel to Bully, will close the game’s servers and plans to remove it from digital storefronts. The team said it could not continue development or operations.

The developers posted a cancellation notice on their official channels late Tuesday, stating the decision followed a combination of revenue shortfalls and legal uncertainty tied to the project’s direct links to the Bully franchise. The studio did not publish documentation of any specific legal action.

The project launched a crowdfunding campaign and an early access build last year. Backers supported the studio through campaign pledges and pre-orders on digital storefronts. The developers wrote that remaining funds and current revenues were insufficient to cover hosting costs, payroll and legal defense, which forced the shutdown this week.

After the announcement, players lost access to online features. Discussion on the game’s Discord server and social channels focused on refunds and the status of saved progress. Some users reported receiving automated refund notices from payment processors soon after the developer’s post.

The studio said it will prioritize refunds for backers who paid directly through the crowdfunding campaign, then process refunds for purchases made through third-party storefronts as those platforms allow. Developers warned the refund and data-retrieval process may take several weeks and said platform-specific policies could delay or limit reimbursements.

Player reaction varied. Many backers expressed disappointment that the project, which aimed to replicate a schoolyard setting and narrative focus similar to Bully, would not continue. Other players criticized the studio’s communication and said the team had underestimated legal risks and ongoing service costs.

The developers noted two main challenges that affected operations: potential intellectual property issues related to an established franchise and the high costs of running live services and online infrastructure. The cancellation ends active server operations and halts planned updates, including a scheduled expansion of the single-player campaign and new social multiplayer modes.

The team said remaining assets, source code and community-hosted mods will be handled according to existing licensing agreements and platform rules. A final timeline for content removal, data retention and refund processing will be published by the studio.