Late last month, Santa Ragione, the developer behind the indie horror game Horses, revealed that its title had been banned by Steam in 2023 while the game was still in development. The game had been set to release on Epic Games Store this week, but now Epic has banned Horses as well.
Santa Ragione shared a lengthy statement on its site, as well as reproduced messages from Epic that broke the news about the cancellation a day before launch. The dispatch from Epic cites violations of its inappropriate content policy and hateful or abusive content policies. Epic also stated that Horses got an Adults Only rating, and those games are excluded from the store.
In response, Santa Ragione mentioned that Epic approved the game for release just over three weeks ago, and that the actual rating for the game was M for Mature under the ESRB and PEGI 18 in international territories. The studio went on to explain again that Horses is not a sexually charged adult game.
It’s always interesting to see how indie games navigate the challenges of distribution. The conversation around bans can really highlight the complexities of game development and community engagement. Looking forward to seeing how this situation unfolds for the developer.
You’re absolutely right! Indie developers often face unique hurdles that mainstream titles don’t encounter. It’s fascinating how their creative approaches can sometimes lead to unexpected solutions, like finding alternative platforms or even community support to get their games out there.
I completely agree! It’s interesting how these hurdles can sometimes lead to innovative solutions or unique gameplay experiences. The passion and creativity of indie developers often shine through in their work, despite the challenges they face.