Santa Ragione, an indie game studio, faces potential closure after Valve banned its latest title, Horses, from Steam. Horses is a first-person horror game that merges gameplay with live-action elements. It follows a college student's unsettling experience working on a farm where 'horses' are replaced by humans in horse masks.
Valve's Review and Decision
Valve's content review team rejected the game based on what they determined to be unsuitable content. While Valve noted concerns about potential depictions of sexual conduct involving minors, Santa Ragione refutes the claim, insisting the scene in question has since been altered to comply with adult content standards.
The game's removal strikes a significant financial blow to the studio, which invested approximately $100,000 into development. Without the substantial reach of Steam, recouping these funds becomes increasingly challenging, though the studio intends to release the game on other PC storefronts by 2023-12-02.
Financial Pressures and Future Plans
Santa Ragione initially invested $50,000 in Horses, hoping to recover costs through profits from its previous game, Saturnalia, which did not meet sales expectations. Further complications arose when a planned bundle deal fell through after Valve's rejection.
Company co-founder Pietro Righi Riva indicated that unless Horses performs exceptionally well, the studio might not sustain operations. Although Horses will receive six months of post-launch support for bug fixes and enhancements, the team warns that lackluster sales could force closure. Most game revenues are set to compensate the game’s creator and contributors, hindering future projects unless Horses succeeds financially.
