Reddit users have „no sympathy” for this indie studio after their game was banned from Steam

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Recent news has surfaced about an Italian indie game studio, Santa Ragione, facing serious trouble after their latest game was banned from Steam. Despite having spent two years and at least $100,000 developing the game, and with the ban threatening the studio’s future, many Reddit users are unsympathetic. Santa Ragione is known for games like Mediterranea Inferno and Saturnalia. A recent survey shows that 72% of game developers believe Steam holds a monopoly, and losing access to Steam’s large audience can be financially devastating for smaller studios, making it hard to succeed elsewhere. When GamesRadar reported the story and shared it on Reddit, the overwhelming reaction was positive, with many users expressing approval of the ban.

Reddit users have no sympathy for indie studio after its game was banned from Steam

The game, called Horses, was initially banned from Steam. When the developers submitted it for approval in 2023, Valve made an unusual request: they wanted to play the entire game first. According to Pietro Righi Riva, the studio’s co-founder, this had never happened to them before. At the time, the game was only partially complete, but Steam insisted on a full playthrough for approval. Santa Ragione quickly worked to finish the game and provide Valve with a complete version for review.

After not hearing back from Steam for a while, and receiving a request for an update from the Steam representative, Riva, the development team received an automated rejection message just before the game’s announcement. Santa Ragione posted this message online, explaining the ban stemmed from themes or imagery that violated Steam’s content policies. Specifically, the message stated they wouldn’t distribute content that appears to depict sexual content involving a minor. According to Riva, the studio offered to make changes to address any concerns, but Steam wouldn’t provide any specific feedback, review, or guidance on what needed to be altered or removed.

The studio had to speculate about Valve’s concerns. The main issue seemed to be a scene featuring a nude woman depicted as a “horse” carrying a young girl. Although the girl was later changed to an adult, Valve has reportedly remained firm on this point, despite the game being approved on other PC platforms like Epic Games, GOG, and Humble. This original rejection happened before the recent issues with payment processors and adult content, so it wasn’t the reason for the initial ban, though it might be contributing to Valve’s current stance.

The GamesRadar article sparked a lot of discussion on Reddit, and many users immediately agreed with the ban. The most popular comment criticized the studio, questioning its reputation and noting its low player numbers on Steam, ending with a simple “I’m fine with this.” Someone replied, claiming the article was a biased attempt to damage Valve and Steam’s image. Many other commenters simply expressed their approval with short responses like “good,” “no sympathy,” or “nothing was lost.”

Steam and Valve have every right to remove any game from their platform if they believe it doesn’t meet their standards. While most people understand the ban was justified, many feel Valve could have been more open and clear about why the game was removed. The current lack of specific rules and guidelines could discourage developers from being creative and lead to self-censorship. Smaller independent studios, in particular, can’t afford the risk of being removed from Steam, as their success often depends on each individual game release.

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2025-11-26 23:02