The independent horror game HORSES has been rejected for release on Steam, and the Italian team at Santa Ragione is worried this could force them to close their studio.
HORSES is a roughly three-hour story about a young man who gets a summer job looking after horses on a strange farm. He quickly discovers the ‘horses’ aren’t animals at all, but people wearing horse masks.
The game aims to be a disturbing horror experience, using shocking and unsettling visuals to explore themes of power, religion, and brutality, according to the developers.
After years of work and around $100,000 in funding, the developers are almost ready to launch their project on December 2nd. Unfortunately, a ban from Steam has them worried their studio might not survive.
Steam bans horror game HORSES
So, I found out about this really creepy black and white horror game way back in June 2023. The developers put out a big Q&A on their site explaining that Steam wasn’t going to let them release it. Apparently, Valve decided it didn’t meet their standards – they just said ‘HORSES’ wouldn’t be approved.
Developer Pietro Righi Riva explained they received no clear answers about why their app was being removed. They spent two years asking for specifics and a way to fix any issues, but were only pointed to Steam’s standard rules. Their attempts to get a review or appeal were repeatedly rejected.
“In our case, they simply stated they could not legally distribute HORSES, without clarifying why.”
Platforms like GOG and the Humble Store didn’t have any problems with the game’s content. However, Epic Games Store requested developers remove any nudity from the game’s featured images, and the developers complied quickly.
The creators of the horror game claim they’ve done everything possible to get their game on Steam, even offering to remove or modify any content Steam found objectionable, according to IGN.
Because Steam didn’t provide clear guidance, the game is now blocked on the leading PC gaming platform.
Riva argues that video games are a form of art and that adults should be able to play legally available games without restrictions. He believes players deserve the freedom to choose what they play, and that a single store shouldn’t be able to limit access to legal content through unclear choices.
The team put a significant amount of money – over $100,000 – into creating HORSES, and they’re worried about its success since it won’t be available on Steam. They’ve stated that they would need to sell a large number of copies – tens of thousands – through other platforms just to cover their costs.
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2025-11-26 03:20