IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
HORSES is a first-person game with live-action sequences. Over the course of fourteen days, it welcomes you into encounters that test your obedience, complicity, and restraint.
HORSES The Horror Game
HORSES is an enigmatic first person horror game that blurs the line between reality and the darkest corners of your imagination. Fourteen days, a horse farm, and a few rules to follow.
www.horses.wtf
Unsettling Horror Game Horses Banned From Steam, Leaving Studio With 'High Risk' of Closure - IGN
Indie horror game Horses is preparing to launch on December 2, on the Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch.io, and the Humble Store. But one place it won't be is on Steam, because Steam has banned the game for unclear reasons. And according to the developer, this ban seems likely to result in the...
What Happened
Back in June 2023, just days prior to our scheduled announcement, we were informed that HORSES will not ship on Steam. We were not given specific details about the content in question. For two years we asked for clarifications and a path to compliance, but we were directed to Steam's general guidelines and our requests for review and appeal were denied over and over. This ban has nothing to do with the recent restriction on adult content pushed by payment processors; this decision was solely in the hands of Steam's curatorial team. Please consult our extensive FAQ below for more detail.
Our Position
We are committed to producing challenging, adult storytelling. HORSES uses grotesque, subversive imagery to confront power, faith, and violence. We reject subjective obscenity standards and believe this kind of moralizing censorship evokes a darker past in which vague notions of "decency" were used to silence artists. Games are an artistic medium and lawful works for adults should remain accessible. We respect players enough to present the game as intended and to let adults choose what to play; lawful works should not be made unreachable by a monopolistic storefront's opaque decisions. Steam publicly downplays human curation in favor of algorithmic sales optimization, yet intervenes with censorship when a game's artistic vision does not align with what the platform owners considers acceptable art. Steam's behavior passively shapes which titles developers feel safe creating, pushing preemptive censorship.
FAQ
Why exactly was HORSES banned from Steam?
Was the game changed to get onto other platforms?
Did Steam specify which content was problematic?
Is the issue related to the FMV live-action intermissions?
How old are the characters in HORSES?
Can HORSES be legally distributed?
Is HORSES pornographic?
If it's banned from Steam, why release it at all?
Why did Steam refuse to elaborate on the ban's reasons?
Did you try X, Y, and Z, to get the game un-banned from Steam?
Why are you at risk of closing Santa Ragione?
What does that mean for HORSES post launch support?
What is the issue with Steam Keys?
Wasn't your previous game an Epic game Store exclusive?
What has the public reception for HORSES been like so far?
What exactly is Steam policy on mature content?
Why exactly was HORSES banned from Steam?
We were not told. Steam's policy grants broad discretion to refuse titles without providing detailed explanations. In our case, they simply stated they could not legally distribute HORSES, without clarifying why. When we asked for an official explanation that we could share publicly, we were redirected to Steam's general Onboarding Documentation and its "What you shouldn't publish on Steam" section, which cites catch-all phrases such as "content that is patently offensive or intended to shock or disgust viewers."
The full text of the automated review we received in June 2023 reads:
"After review, we will not be able to ship your game HORSES on Steam. While we strive to ship most titles submitted to us, we found that this title features themes, imagery, or descriptions that we won't distribute. Regardless of a developer's intentions with their product, we will not distribute content that appears, in our judgment, to depict sexual conduct involving a minor. While every product submitted is unique, if your product features this representation—even in a subtle way that could be defined as a 'grey area'—it will be rejected by Steam. For instance, setting your game in a high school but declaring your characters are of legal age would fall into that category and be banned. This app has been banned and cannot be reused. Re-submissions of this app, even with modifications, will not be accepted."
We believe this explanation is deliberately vague and unfounded. There are no scenes or characters in the game that fall within that grey area, and we were refused any detail, review, or guidance on what to change or remove.
Was the game changed to get onto other platforms?
No. HORSES was refused by Steam when it was still in a rough, incomplete state. We were only about halfway through development and had scrambled together a build that could be played start to finish, solely to satisfy Steam's request for a playable version to open a Coming Soon page, something we had never been asked for before. We told Steam we would change or cut any content they considered problematic if they could point to it, but they would not. The version releasing soon is the game as we intended.
Did Steam specify which content was problematic?
No. Steam's decision came without detailed feedback, and the ban notice did not cite any specific scenes or elements. For months we repeatedly asked what triggered the ban and received no answer. We also offered, unsuccessfully, to change any content deemed unfit, especially since the game was still early in development at the time of submission. Please see the rest of the FAQs for more detail on the characters and development process.
Is the issue related to the FMV live-action intermissions?
No. Before we received the official automated review, Valve informally expressed concern about the live-action intermissions when we asked why the review process was taking so long, though they provided no specifics. This was never mentioned again in any of our subsequent follow-ups. To be clear, the live-action intermissions contain no nudity. We also rule out any issue with traceability, as all footage was either filmed and produced with credited actors or sourced from reputable, fully traceable stock libraries.
How old are the characters in HORSES?
All characters in the game are clearly older than 20 years old, as communicated by their appearance and through dialogue and documents that you will encounter in the game. We think the ban may have been triggered during the initial Steam submission by an incomplete scene on day six, in which a man and his young daughter visit the farm. The daughter wants to ride one of the horses (in the game the "horses" are humans wearing a horse mask) and gets to pick which one. What followed was an interactive dialogue sequence where the player is leading, by a lead as if they were a horse, a naked adult woman with a young girl on her shoulders. The scene is not sexual in any way, but it is possible that the juxtaposition is what triggered the flag. We have since changed the character in the scene to be a twenty-something woman, both to avoid the juxtaposition and more importantly because the dialogue delivered in that scene, which deals with the societal structure in the world of HORSES, works much better when delivered by an older character.
Can HORSES be legally distributed?
Yes. We believe HORSES complies with all legal regulations for digital distribution in the vast majority of countries, including the US and the EU. The ban appears to be a policy decision, not a legal one, and we were never given a clear explanation of what specific content could be considered legally prohibited.
Is HORSES pornographic?
No, the game is not pornographic. While it does contain some sexual elements, the intent is never to arouse. It uses challenging, unconventional material to encourage discussion. It invites players to examine why something feels the way it does, what it says about the characters and systems at work, and where their limits lie. It is about tension, not erotic content. (We apologize if we got your hopes up for horse porn.)
If it's banned from Steam, why release it at all?
As a team, we have spent several years working passionately on this project, and we believe players should have the chance to play it even if Steam has decided its users should not be allowed to make that choice. Other platforms respect developer freedom and our commitment to challenging themes. As a studio, we invested about $100,000 in development, roughly half of which we raised from friends; without access to Steam, recouping that investment will be very difficult, but the game deserves a chance regardless.
Why did Steam refuse to elaborate on the ban's reasons?
We do not know for sure, but we believe Steam intentionally keeps its policy opaque so it does not have to stand by clear rules and can adjust decisions to whatever best serves the platform at a given moment. That might be acceptable in a truly competitive market, but Steam is a de facto monopoly, and arbitrary, unpredictable decisions can jeopardize the survival of developers and studios. We also believe they chose this particularly loaded and generic accusation because it is difficult to contest publicly.
Did you try X, Y, and Z, to get the game un-banned from Steam?
Yes. We tried everything we could. We reached out to our contacts at Valve and Steam through every channel at our disposal, both official and unofficial, including friends and supporters we've met in the industry over the years. We never managed to get the decision reversed, nor even to get a clear explanation of why the game was banned and by whom.
Why are you at risk of closing Santa Ragione?
We initially invested about $50,000 to develop HORSES after signing the game with its creator, Andrea Lucco Borlera. We hoped to cover these costs with sales of our previous game, Saturnalia, which unfortunately sold far less than we expected. Nevertheless, we had lined up a great bundle opportunity for that game, which was denied because Valve refused to give us Steam keys. Around the same time, we were informed that HORSES had been banned and would not release on Steam, which completely erased our ability to find an external supporting publisher or partner to fund the rest of the game, as no one in the industry considers an indie game that cannot be released on Steam to be viable. After two years of seeking these funds through traditional venues while trying to get the game unbanned, we had to seek private funding from friends to complete development, which puts us in a completely unsustainable financial situation unless the game somehow recoups its development costs.
What does that mean for HORSES post launch support?
The game is a complete and optimized 3-hour narrative experience. That said, we will continue supporting HORSES for at least six months after release. We have set aside funds and coordinated with our devs to reserve part-time availability to fix bugs and introduce any highly requested quality-of-life changes. Please keep in touch after launch through our Discord community to share your thoughts on the game and any support requests you might have.
What is the issue with Steam Keys?
Steam has recently begun refusing to grant developers keys for their own games. In the absence of clear rules or guidance, Valve led developers for years to believe they could request keys as needed, building communities and businesses outside Steam while still creating value for Steam users. It now withholds keys from indie developers who do not meet undisclosed sales thresholds. Our multiple requests for keys for our previous game, Saturnalia, were denied without any specific criteria we could work toward to resolve it. As a result, we have been unable to include the game in bundles we had planned to help recoup development costs for our next project, HORSES. This policy shift was never communicated and has been applied retroactively to existing titles. Developers and partners are understandably reluctant to speak publicly or challenge Steam, since as a de facto monopoly it holds disproportionate control over our business.
Wasn't your previous game an Epic game Store exclusive?
Yes. Saturnalia was, for a year after launching, a temporary exclusive on the Epic Games Store, because Epic partially funded development of the game. The game absolutely would not have existed without Epic funding, so this is not a case of us seeking easier profits but making a concession to be able to produce the game. Developers always want as many people as possible to be able to discover and play their games. To be clear, we absolutely do NOT believe that HORSES's ban, or Steam's refusal to grant us keys, was a retaliatory measure for us publishing a game exclusively elsewhere.
What has the public reception for HORSES been like so far?
We received some wonderful reactions to the game's announcement and previews (IGN, Finger Guns, The Guardian, Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, EDGE Magazine). HORSES has also been a finalist at IndieCade and A MAZE, selected for Day of the Devs in Los Angeles 2023 and San Francisco 2024, showcased at SXSW Sydney, and exhibited at SFMOMA during GDC 2024.
What exactly is Steam policy on mature content?
Nobody really knows. It's important to note that HORSES' ban has nothing to do with the recent restriction on adult content pushed by payment processors; this decision was solely in the hands of Steam's curatorial team. Alongside ultraviolent titles, Steam distributes explicit pornographic games; some of these listings acknowledge the legal grey area Steam mentioned in the HORSES ban message, by stating "All characters depicted are over the age of 18" in their store descriptions, and yet non-pornographic works like HORSES can be banned without context. By contrast, mature works with comparable or stronger themes routinely appear on mainstream streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, where controversial directors are an accepted part of the catalog. This double standard suggests Steam does not treat games as art on par with film, and intervenes with censorship when an artistic vision does not align with what the platform owner considers acceptable art.
