Replace, 12/03/25 5:22 PM:The Humble retailer has since re-listed Horses on its platform, making it accessible for buy as soon as once more. The headline and physique of the unique story has been amended under to have an effect on these modifications. After the sport’s reinstatement, developer Santa Ragione supplied IGN the next assertion:
In brief, their workforce noticed the press protection and quickly delisted Horses to reevaluate it. After a full evaluate they decided that whereas the content material is heavy, nothing within the recreation warrants removing from their retailer.We’re grateful to Humble for having reconsidered and for taking the time to take a look at the sport, though I want they’d knowledgeable us that this course of was ongoing! We’re pleased that it has been resolved with the sport being again on the shop, and we want Steam and Epic would additionally rethink their stance primarily based on the precise recreation contents.
The unique story continues under.
Horses, a disturbing indie horror recreation, was set to launch yesterday on a number of digital storefronts, however previously week, lots of these retailers have refused to record it, together with Steam, the Epic Video games Retailer, and the Humble Retailer, although the latter platform has since reversed the choice. It is a transfer that has sparked controversy on-line, with many decrying it as unjust censorship of the sport’s grownup themes. However what, precisely, is on this recreation that makes it so offensive? Every platform has launched its personal assertion, however in an interview with IGN, Pietro Righi Riva, co-founder of Horses developer Santa Ragione (which beforehand created titles like Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia), defined what he thinks occurred.
The titular horses should not, the truth is horses – the sport’s major disturbing factor is that the farm the participant visits has a inhabitants of enslaved, nude people carrying horse masks. The controversy just isn’t solely associated to the nudity or enslavement, however a couple of character’s younger daughter and her proximity to the “horses.”
“The daughter needs to journey one of many horses (within the recreation the ‘horses’ are people carrying a horse masks) and will get to choose which one,” Riva informed IGN. “What adopted was an interactive dialogue sequence the place the participant is main, by a lead as in the event that they had been a horse, a unadorned grownup girl with a younger woman on her shoulders. The scene just isn’t sexual in any method, however it’s doable that the juxtaposition is what triggered the flag.”
Horses was rejected by Steam when it was submitted for evaluate in 2023. Riva claims Steam by no means gave him a particular second to clarify the rejection, however the rejection message included a line that learn, “No matter a developer’s intentions with their product, we won’t distribute content material that seems, in our judgment, to depict sexual conduct involving a minor.” Assuming the difficulty was with the daughter character, they raised her age.
“We’ve since modified the character within the scene to be a twenty-something girl, each to keep away from the juxtaposition and extra importantly as a result of the dialogue delivered in that scene, which offers with the societal construction on the earth of Horses, works a lot better when delivered by an older character,” Riva’s assertion continues. Regardless of the adjustment, Steam has not modified course. Reportedly, even after repeated contact between Riva and varied representatives at Steam, he hasn’t even acquired affirmation of what scene or factor of the sport brought on the ban within the first place.
Yesterday, the ban expanded when the Epic Video games Retailer, which had been set to promote Horses, reversed course on the final minute. Regardless of reportedly approving the sport earlier within the yr, the sport was rejected 24 hours earlier than its deliberate launch. The sport has a retailer web page and every thing, and on the time of writing, Horses remains to be listed as “coming quickly.” Developer Santa Ragione acquired the next assertion from the Epic Video games Retailer, and a consultant from Epic later confirmed to IGN that the assertion was correct:
We’re unable to distribute Horses on the Epic Video games Retailer as a result of our evaluate discovered violations of the Epic Video games Retailer Content material Pointers, particularly the ‘Inappropriate Content material’ and ‘Hateful or Abusive Content material’ insurance policies. The ‘Inappropriate Content material’ coverage prohibits content material which “incorporates express or frequent depictions of sexual habits or not appropriately labeled, rated, or age-gated.” The ‘Hateful or Abusive Content material’ coverage prohibits content material that promotes abuse and animal abuse. This content material is prohibited by our Pointers and can’t be distributed on the Epic Video games Retailer. Moreover, once we [Epic] stuffed out the IARC Questionnaire primarily based on the content material that we reviewed, it acquired an Grownup Solely (AO) ranking. Merchandise with AO scores can’t be distributed on the Epic Video games Retailer (the one exception is for merchandise in circumstances the place an AO ranking was utilized solely because of the utilization of blockchain or NFT expertise). You’ve some choices on find out how to transfer ahead: 1. You may make updates to your product to make sure compliance and resubmit it for evaluate. 2. Should you consider we made a mistake, you even have the power to enchantment this determination. You’ll be able to enchantment by replying to this electronic mail or creating a personal dialogue on our Developer Help web site. Choose “Epic Video games Retailer” as the subject. 3. You can not change the title or content material to repurpose it for an additional recreation. Should you select to not transfer ahead, we’ll refund your submission payment for this product.
Riva has since claimed that the ban is extra doubtless because of the elevated media consideration following the information that Steam wouldn’t be itemizing the sport, however Epic has not confirmed this truth. Riva has additionally stated that the studio stuffed out its personal IARC questionnaire – a kind which evaluates the ranking of your recreation for PEGI, ESRB, and different online game content material ranking authorities – and in contrast to Epic’s AO ranking, Santa Ragione noticed its recreation marked as rated M for Mature.
Earlier in the present day, the sport was unavailable on the Humble video games retailer as effectively, nevertheless it has since been reinstated. You’ll be able to learn the developer’s full assertion relating to the Humble Retailer above, however the it claims the storefront merely quickly delisted the sport for additional evaluate.
In the meantime, Horses has remained accessible on itch.io and GOG. It most likely goes with out saying, however the recreation incorporates grownup and doubtlessly objectionable content material, so proceed to these hyperlinks with warning. It is presently one of many best-selling video games on GOG, as its bans have shone a highlight on it that it won’t have in any other case acquired.
Sources: IGN [1, 2], PC Gamer
