“Santa Ragione Developer Claims Epic Games Have Ghosted Us Over HORSES Ban”

Epic Games and the Controversial Ban of HORSES

On December 2, 2025, Epic Games made headlines by abruptly banning the provocative game HORSES just before its scheduled launch. Despite having initially approved a pre-release version, the game faced an unexpected ban from both Epic Games Store and Valve’s Steam platform, dealing a significant setback to its developer, Santa Ragione, a small Italian studio that now finds itself excluded from two of the largest PC gaming markets.

Reignition of the Controversy

Recent discussions surrounding the game have brought the controversy back into the spotlight. In a recent interview with Game File, focused largely on the 2025 growth figures for the Epic Games Store, General Manager Steve Allison expressed that while the company appreciates Santa Ragione, the game’s ‘Adult Only’ rating was a critical factor in their decision against publishing it.

Santa Ragione’s Response

The developers at Santa Ragione were quick to respond, delivering a passionate rebuttal on BlueSky:

Epic Games made provably incorrect statements about the game’s content, refused to provide details supporting their claims, and has not shared their claimed AO IARC certificate, which normally includes a link for the developer to appeal. They do not ‘love that studio’; they have effectively ghosted us.

Debunking the AO Rating

Santa Ragione contends that the game’s actual content does not justify an Adult Only rating, which can be corroborated by abundant gameplay walkthroughs available on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, as well as its presence on the Humble Store. The developer specified that HORSES was rated PEGI 18 and earned an ESRB M rating via the IARC system, indicating it should not fall under the Adult Only classification.

A Glimpse into HORSES

The game itself is designed as a psychological horror experience, set on a farm where the “horses” are, in fact, human beings adorned with horse masks and treated as livestock. Players engage in various unsettling tasks that escalate in severity, contributing to a disturbing atmosphere of dehumanization. These include being fed like animals, stabling, and even being involved in races and burdensome labor. The narrative includes themes of sexual assault, mutilation, and torture, portraying severe repercussions for interpersonal sexual relations among the “horses.”

Support for the Game

Despite the contentious content, supporters—including the developers—argue that HORSES does not merit an Adult Only rating, suggesting that the explicitness does not surpass that of popular games featuring sex animations widely accepted and distributed. Within this context, they believe the game challenges the boundaries of traditional video game ratings.