The Italian indie studio Santa Ragione has announced that its latest game, Horses, may be its final project due to a distribution ban on Steam. Santa Ragione, known for its avant-garde storytelling, was told by Valve in 2023 that Horses features inappropriate content, a claim the studio disputes.
Ban Impact on Santa Ragione
The ban from Steam has severely impacted the studio's finances. Santa Ragione initially invested $50,000 in developing Horses and had to secure an additional $50,000 after publishers and investors withdrew. Without access to Steam's platform, which covers over 75% of the PC market, the studio does not expect to recoup these costs and may shut down unless financial recovery is achieved.
Platform Alternatives and Funding Struggles
Despite the setback, other platforms such as the Microsoft Store, GOG, and Humble Store have agreed to sell Horses. However, the absence from Steam has pushed Santa Ragione to seek financial backing from personal connections. Co-founder Pietro Righi Riva expressed concerns over Steam's opaque decision process and the pressure it creates for self-censorship among game developers.
Valve's Decision and Developer Keys
Santa Ragione claims that Valve offered no specific feedback for compliance to reverse the ban on Horses. Additionally, the studio reports that Steam has ceased issuing developer keys to indie games with insufficient sales, thereby retroactively harming its previous projects. This experience highlights the vulnerabilities faced by smaller game developers under platforms with significant market control.
