Epic maintains that it provided Horses studio with "context" after deciding to prohibit the controversial horror game

Epic Games has challenged assertions that it provided "provably incorrect statements" to Santa Ragione, the creators of the game Horses. The company claims it offered feedback upon concluding that the horror game violated the Epic Game Store's content standards, justifying its decision not to allow its sale on the platform.

The Italian game studio Santa Ragione shared with GamesIndustry.biz in December that it faced potential closure due to Valve's decision not to feature their upcoming horror game, Horses, on Steam. Shortly afterward, the Epic Games Store also decided against distributing the controversial game.

In a recent exchange with Game File, Epic Games VP Steve Allison expressed admiration for Santa Ragione's projects. However, the indie developers accused Epic of "ghosting" them and failing to provide an Adults Only rating or the certificate, which is typically required to dispute such ratings.

Santa Ragione stated in a BlueSky post, "Epic 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 further commented, "They do not ‘love [our] studio’, they have effectively ghosted us." They argued that the game's content does not warrant an AO rating, as inferred from available walkthroughs on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, and its listing on the Humble Store.

Epic Games refuted these allegations in a public statement, explaining they could not issue a certificate for Santa Ragione’s game because it was not officially submitted. Brian Sharon, Epic's senior communications manager, noted, "Our team played the game and found it violated the Epic Games Store’s Content Guidelines, specifically the 'Inappropriate Content' and 'Hateful or Abusive Content' policies." He added that the game, upon being evaluated via a ratings questionnaire, received an Adults Only (AO) rating, which is not accepted in their store.

Epic further clarified that the developers were informed about which policies Horses contravened. After an appeal, Epic re-evaluated the content and maintained that their decision was justified.

By mid-December, Horses had sold over 18,000 copies, generating approximately $65,000 in net revenue. Despite being removed from platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store, the game benefited from substantial coverage of the bans, support from GOG, and a favorable response from players. Nonetheless, Santa Ragione remarked that these earnings, while helpful in covering royalties and debts, were insufficient for ensuring the studio’s long-term viability.