Italian indie developer Santa Ragione has revealed that its upcoming horror game Horses has been banned from Steam without clear explanation, potentially dooming the studio to closure. The narrative-driven title, set for release on December 2, 2024, on alternative PC storefronts, explores themes of guilt and power dynamics through unsettling farm imagery. The ban, stemming from a 2023 submission, has severely limited the game's market access, threatening recoupment of development costs.
Background on Santa Ragione
Santa Ragione, founded in 2010 by Pietro Righi Riva and Nicolò Tedeschi, is an Italian indie studio known for boundary-pushing games that evoke visceral responses and address societal themes. Notable titles include the ambient puzzler Mirror Moon EP (2013), politically minded Wheels of Aurelia (2016), horror title Saturnalia (2022), and post-Covid exploration Mediterranea Inferno (2023). The studio operates like a film production, assembling project-specific teams from diverse fields, with a core group of five. Horses marks a co-production with director Andrea Lucco Borlera, using first-person narrative horror to examine guilt, repression, power dynamics, and societal structures on a farm where livestock are depicted as naked, masked humans.
The Steam Ban Timeline
In June 2023, ahead of Horses' unveiling at IGN's Summer of Gaming, Santa Ragione submitted a Coming Soon page to Steam. Valve flagged the mature content declaration and uncensored nudity in screenshots, then unusually requested a full playable build—despite the game being only halfway developed. The studio rushed a version, but received an automated rejection the day before the reveal. The notice cited "themes, imagery, or descriptions" involving "sexual conduct with a minor," even in grey areas, without specifics.
Santa Ragione insists no such content exists; all characters are over 20, confirmed by appearance, dialogue, and documents. An early scene featured a young girl riding a 'horse' (naked human) on shoulders, but this was revised to a twenty-something woman to avoid juxtaposition and better fit the narrative. "Steam’s decision came without detailed feedback," co-founder Pietro Righi Riva told IGN. Repeated requests for clarification went unanswered, and offers to modify content were ignored. The ban predates Steam's recent adult content issues and blocks resubmission.
Impact and Future
Excluding Steam—estimated at 75% of the PC market—Horses launches December 2, 2024, on Epic Games Store, GOG, Humble Store, and Itch.io for €4.99/$4.99. The studio invested €50,000, funded partly by personal loans, after publishers withdrew due to the ban. "It's extremely frustrating and also f*cked up," Riva told Eurogamer, noting denied Steam keys for prior games compounded issues. Without a breakthrough hit, Santa Ragione plans to wind down post-launch, though Riva hopes Horses' unique interactive elements—live-action intermissions, split-screen, and theatrical rhythm—might sustain it. Valve did not respond to inquiries from either outlet.