Epic bans indie game ‘Horses’ 24 hours before launch; developer left with few storefront options

Indie studio Santa Ragione says its latest horror game, Horses, has been removed from the Epic Games Store just 24 hours before the planned release — following an earlier ban from Steam. Epic reportedly cited violations of its inappropriate and hateful/abusive content policies; the studio says the game is a critique of violence and that the decision gives no specific examples.

Horses is a short ($5) horror title about a college student working on a farm where the “horses” are actually adults wearing equine masks. Santa Ragione says nudity is pixelated and sexual scenes are brief and censored. Despite these defenses, Epic denied the studio’s appeal within twelve hours, leaving GOG and Itch.io as the primary storefronts still selling the title.

Key points

• Epic blocked Horses 24 hours before its release, citing policy violations related to inappropriate or abusive content.
• Steam had already removed the game earlier, so the developer now depends on smaller platforms (GOG, Itch.io) to recoup development costs.
• Santa Ragione reports spending roughly $100,000 on development and says the bans threaten its viability; Horses is priced at about $5.
• Epic’s notice reportedly referenced an adults-only rating and alleged promotion of abuse, while the studio argues the game critiques such behavior rather than endorsing it.

Industry context and implications

The removals highlight how platform moderation decisions can make or break small developers, especially when major storefronts represent the bulk of discoverability and sales. Indie creators say blanket or opaque enforcement — without clear examples or remediation paths — risks putting studios out of business and suppressing challenging art. Platforms, meanwhile, must balance content policies, legal risks and community standards.

Where Horses is available

At the time of writing, Horses remains for sale on GOG and Itch.io, where it has seen significant interest. A planned listing on other stores — such as Humble — appears to have been pulled or redirected.

For more details, follow Santa Ragione’s public statements and storefront pages for updates. The situation is ongoing and may evolve if stores provide further explanation or reinstate the game.

Discussion: Do you think major game stores should provide clearer, itemized reasons when banning titles — or maintain the discretion to remove content they judge unsafe? How should platforms balance safety and artistic freedom?