"On November 25, indie studio Santa Ragione published a trailer for Horses that revealed the game's December 2 release date. However, it also sports an interesting badge at the end claiming the game has been banned from Steam. At the same time the trailer went live, the studio updated its website to include a lengthy FAQ about Horses being banned from Steam."
"Speaking with IGN, co-founder Pietro Righi Riva explained that in 2023, the studio submitted a request for a Steam Coming Soon page for Horses. However, Valve told the company to submit a playable build. "We were only about halfway through development and had scrambled together a build that could be played start to finish, solely to satisfy Steam's request for a playable version to open a Coming Soon page, something we had never been asked for before," Riva said."
"But Santa Ragione was not told why Horses had been banned from Steam. The company's FAQ claims Steam told the studio that Horses had been barred from the storefront because it found that it featured " themes, imagery, or descriptions that [Steam] won't distribute." The message also included a line that Valve won't distribute games that contain content depicting "sexual conduct involving a minor" regardless of intention or if it is done in a "subtle way that could be defined as a 'grey area.'""
Horses, an upcoming narrative-driven horror game, will launch December 2 on the Epic Games Store, Humble Store, GOG, and Itch.io. Valve has barred Horses from distribution on Steam without clear explanation. Santa Ragione submitted a playable build after Valve requested one for a Coming Soon page and then received rejection. Valve's message referenced themes, imagery, or descriptions it will not distribute and singled out content depicting sexual conduct involving a minor. The studio reports limited clarity from Valve and warns that the ban could threaten Santa Ragione's continued operation despite other storefront releases.
Read at Kotaku
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