Epic Games Store makes a last-minute decision to halt the distribution of Horses

The digital game marketplace, Epic Games Store, has decided not to feature the controversial indie title, Horses, on its platform.

Through a social media statement, Santa Ragione, the game's developer, revealed that Epic Games Store made the decision to exclude the game just before its intended release, even though a release version had already been authorized.

Recently, Santa Ragione disclosed in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that their studio might face closure following Valve's decision not to allow Horses on Steam. According to the developer, this severely limits their ability to reach PC gamers, jeopardizing any return on the project's investment.

Valve commented to GamesIndustry.biz stating that their team reviewed the game earlier in 2023. The developer originally set a release date a few months later but concerns about the store page content prompted a thorough review. After evaluating the game, Valve provided feedback, which led to their final decision to reject distribution on Steam.

The same fate has now been reported with Epic Games Store, which communicated to Santa Ragione:

"We are unable to distribute Horses on the Epic Games Store because our review found violations of the Epic Games Store Content Guidelines, specifically the ‘Inappropriate Content’ and ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policies. The ‘Inappropriate Content’ policy prohibits content which “contains explicit or frequent depictions of sexual behavior or not appropriately labeled, rated, or age-gated.” The ‘Hateful or Abusive Content’ policy prohibits content that promotes abuse and animal abuse. This content is prohibited by our Guidelines and cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store.

"Additionally, when we [Epic] filled out the IARC Questionnaire based on the content that we reviewed, it received an Adult Only (AO) rating. Products with AO ratings cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store (the only exception is for products in cases where an AO rating was applied solely due to the usage of blockchain or NFT technology)."

Santa Ragione was offered options to either amend the game for re-evaluation or appeal the current verdict.

The developer contested the verdict through all available channels, disputing claims of explicit content and noting that their prior submission through IARC did not yield an AO rating.

They reported securing a PEGI 18 and an ESRB M rating, both displayed on the game’s upcoming Epic Games Store page.

Despite their appeal, Epic Games Store upheld its original decision, maintaining their course of action.

Meanwhile, GOG, a platform by CD Projekt, has expressed support for Horses.