Indie Horror Game Horses Faces Steam Ban, Leaving Its Studio on the Brink of Closure

Italian indie studio Santa Ragione says its upcoming first-person horror game Horses will not launch on Steam after Valve rejected the project, a decision the team fears may ultimately force the studio to shut down.

For a lot of us covering indie games, we know how much a Steam release matters. It’s the biggest PC storefront, and if you’re an independent developer, losing that audience can be devastating. Santa Ragione seems to be learning that the hard way.

Indie Horror Game Horses Faces Steam Ban | Image via Gaming Amigos

A Disturbing Concept—and Years of Work at Risk

Horses is a short, three-hour narrative horror game built around a surreal, deeply uncomfortable premise. You play as a young man who takes a summer job on a rural farm, only to realise the “horses” you’re caring for are actually naked adult humans wearing horse masks and being treated like livestock.

The story aims to explore “the burden of familial trauma, puritan values, and totalitarian power,” using grotesque imagery and unsettling situations to push players into difficult ethical territory. This isn’t meant to be erotic or sensational; Santa Ragione insists the game uses disturbing moments to provoke thought, not arousal.

The studio has spent multiple years and over $100,000 developing the title. With a release planned for December 2 on the Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch.io, and Humble, the team hoped a Steam listing would help them break even. Instead, they’re preparing for the worst.

Why Valve Rejected Horses

Steam initially rejected Horses back in June 2023 when the developers submitted an early, incomplete build. According to Santa Ragione’s statements and Q&A posts shared with IGN, Valve refused to approve the game, citing concerns that the title “appears, in our judgment, to depict sexual conduct involving a minor.”

The developers say no specific scenes or assets were ever pointed out. For nearly two years, Santa Ragione repeatedly asked for clarification, guidance, or even a chance to resubmit a modified version. Valve, according to the studio, declined every appeal.

Speaking to IGN, co-founder Pietro Righi Riva explained that the team was blindsided: “We never even considered the possibility of being banned without an opportunity to appeal or resubmit.”

Although Valve’s internal review team declined to comment initially, it issued a short statement this week after media attention saying the game had indeed been reviewed, reconsidered "extensively" and ultimately rejected in line with Steam’s content policies.

The Alleged Triggering Scene

Santa Ragione believes the ban may have stemmed from a specific placeholder sequence included in the early build. The scene involved a man visiting the farm with his young daughter, who sits atop the shoulders of one of the “horses”—a naked adult woman wearing a mask. It wasn’t meant to be sexual, but the juxtaposition could have raised concerns.

The developers later redesigned the sequence entirely: the “daughter” was changed to a woman in her 20s, and the dialogue was revised to better fit the game’s themes. However, by the time those changes were made in 2024, Steam’s decision was already final.

Other storefronts, meanwhile, had no such issues. Epic Games simply requested that screenshots featuring nudity be censored, which Santa Ragione did immediately. PEGI and ESRB also rated the game without any red flags.

A Studio on the Edge

The absence of a Steam release has hit the studio hard. Riva told GamesIndustry.biz that the team had already been struggling financially, especially after their earlier game Saturnalia underperformed. Without access to Steam’s massive market, Horses is unlikely to recoup its development costs.

The studio says it needs to sell “tens of thousands of copies” across other storefronts to survive—an incredibly tough ask for any indie horror title launching without Steam visibility.

In the meantime, Santa Ragione has set aside enough funds for six months of post-launch support, but beyond that, the team expects to wind down operations.

The Bigger Issue: Transparency on Mature Content

Across interviews and public statements, Santa Ragione repeatedly emphasized that the core problem isn’t Steam rejecting Horses—it’s the lack of communication. Developers were given no path to compliance and no detailed explanation of what content violated guidelines.

According to the studio, this creates an environment where creators self-censor preemptively, especially when dealing with mature or boundary-pushing themes. They argue that games should be treated as art, similar to film or literature, and that lawful adult content deserves clearer standards.

Riva summed it up in a way many indie developers might relate to: “All we'd want are clear rules, feedback, and a path to compliance.”

What Happens Next?

Horses will still launch on December 2 for $5 across multiple PC platforms. And who knows—maybe word-of-mouth support from players who enjoy experimental horror will help the game perform better than expected.