Scandalous ‘Horses’: The Cost Of Being Pushed Off Major Stores

The publisher of Horses has renewed its criticism of the Epic Games Store after comments from a senior Epic executive described the situation as a routine enforcement of policy. The dispute centers on Horses, a scandalous art game developed by Italian studio Santa Ragione, which was removed from Epic’s storefront one day before launch and had already been delisted from Steam years earlier.

The comments that reignited the conflict came from Epic Games Store vice president and general manager Steve Allison during an interview with Game File. Allison described Horses as having passed through the standard self-publishing process before being reassessed by Epic’s trust and safety team. That reassessment resulted in an Adult Only rating and removal from sale.

According to Epic, Santa Ragione completed an International Age Rating Coalition questionnaire that initially led to an M rating. Epic later conducted its own review and reached a different conclusion. I see the sequence Epic outlines as a late-stage reversal driven by internal review rather than a technical error.

Allison said the trust and safety team decided the game violated Epic’s policies on multiple fronts. He added that Epic does not carry Adult Only titles, except in narrow cases involving blockchain or NFT-related ratings. That policy led to Horses being delisted a day before its planned release.

In the same interview, Allison referenced Epic’s prior relationship with the studio and framed the decision as procedural rather than personal.

“And so, the call came late—and we love that studio; we did their previous game as a short exclusive—but because that team, that’s their job and that is, if you do the letter of the law on our policies, it is what it is.”

— Steve Allison

Santa Ragione responded publicly on Bluesky, rejecting both the substance and tone of Allison’s remarks. The studio accused Epic of providing incorrect descriptions of the game’s content and failing to supply documentation supporting the Adult Only classification.

“Epic made provably incorrect statements about the game’s content, refused to provide details supporting their claims, and has not shared their claimed AO IARC certificate, which normally includes a link for the developer to appeal. They do not ‘love that studio’, they have effectively ghosted us.”

— Santa Ragione

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Epic told Santa Ragione that Adult Only games are barred from the store under company policy, with the sole exception involving blockchain-related ratings. The studio says it never received an AO rating during its original submission and instead obtained a PEGI 18 and ESRB M rating, both still displayed on the Epic store page prior to removal.

Epic has stated that the reassessment was prompted by renewed discussion of Horses close to launch. That discussion followed a broader wave of pressure in mid-2025, when conservative activist groups targeted adult content on platforms such as Steam and itch.io through payment processors. Horses, already absent from Steam, re-entered public debate as part of that wider scrutiny.

The comparison between Horses and other games available on Steam has been central to Santa Ragione’s argument. The studio points to titles featuring explicit nudity or disturbing themes that remain on major storefronts, including Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Fear and Hunger, and the Outlast series.

Horses depicts a surreal rural Italian farm populated by nude human figures wearing horse masks and treated as livestock by a controlling overseer. The game draws comparisons to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. While the latter half of the game portrays or implies acts of sexual violence, those moments are visually censored through heavy pixelation.

Santa Ragione has also highlighted the availability of unredacted longplay videos on YouTube and Twitch as evidence that the Adult Only rating was misapplied. Both platforms are known for strict moderation of explicit material, yet the footage remains accessible.

Despite rejection by Epic and Valve, Horses continues to be sold elsewhere. The game is available on GOG and through the Humble Store, where no Adult Only restriction applies.

Epic’s position was outlined more fully in a written statement issued after the removal. The company cited violations of its Inappropriate Content and Hateful or Abusive Content policies. Epic said its review found explicit or frequent depictions of sexual behavior and content it categorized as promoting abuse or animal abuse, making the game ineligible for distribution.

Santa Ragione appealed the decision through Epic’s suggested channels and disputed those findings. The appeal was denied, with Epic confirming the original decision would stand.

Valve’s earlier rejection followed a similar path. Steam reviewed Horses after concerns were raised by the store page and later declined to host the game following a full playthrough. Valve said its decision aligned with its onboarding rules and guidelines and remained unchanged after internal review.

Critical response to Horses has focused less on its platform struggles and more on its intent and execution. PC Gamer contributor Maddi Chilton argued that the controversy risked overshadowing what the game attempts to do within the medium.

“Horses is interesting for other reasons too, and I hope that the unfortunate situation of its release won't stop us from considering what the game is actually doing, whether it works, and where it fits in with the conversation of the wider texts it draws inspiration from.”

— Maddi Chilton

Chilton described the game as an attempt to explore themes more commonly addressed in film and literature, even while noting its shortcomings. I do read that assessment as a call to separate content review from platform policy enforcement.

Read also, Horses has sold 18,000 copies despite being excluded from two major PC storefronts. Sales covered existing loans and royalty obligations but fell short of funding a new project. Santa Ragione says future development remains uncertain, with team members now working across separate projects.