The saga for Santa Ragione’s controversial horror title HORSES has reached a bittersweet end. Despite being banned from both Steam and the Epic Games Store, HORSES managed to sell over 18,000 copies after it launched two weeks ago. However, those sales were not enough for the studio to remain open.
In a press release, the team announced that those sales translated into “approximately $65,000 in net revenue”, which allowed the developer to repay the loans that it took out in order to finish developing HORSES, as well as paying the royalties owed to the game’s creator, Andrea Lucco Borlera. However, that revenue was still not enough to secure enough funding for another project.
“If sales remain steady, we may be able to fund a new prototype in the future, but the team has had to, and will continue to, take other jobs and projects in the meantime,” the studio explained. “Reuniting everyone will not be easy, even if it is something we would love.”
Amidst all of this, Santa Ragione still has no definite answer from Valve as to why the game was banned from Steam.
“We want to emphasise that this outcome should not distract from the broader issue at stake: the need for clearer rules, transparent processes, and meaningful accountability from near monopolistic distribution platforms and the systems they enforce,” the developer stated, once again taking aim at Valve’s decision.
“For every case like HORSES that becomes visible, there are many more games that are quietly banned, delisted, or trapped in indefinite review for unclear reasons, with developers too worried about retaliation or future approval to speak publicly.”
The game sees players on a break from their college studies, deciding to spend the summer helping out on a secluded farm. Fourteen days, a horse farm, and a few rules to follow. What follows, however, are a series of encounters that test your obedience, complicity, and restraint. The “horses” owned by the farmer are actually enslaved, naked humans wearing horse masks. You must heed the farmer’s warnings, or face certain consequences.
You can purchase HORSES yourself on GOG, itch.io, and the Humble Store.
