Epic Games Pulls Controversial Indie Game HORSES Just Before Release

The Italian studio **Santa Ragione** has encountered a new obstacle: the Epic Games Store abruptly decided not to distribute their provocative project, HORSES, despite having previously approved its release version.

The developers announced the unfortunate news via Bluesky. They had previously faced a rejection from Valve, which declined to feature the game on Steam. **Santa Ragione** warns that without access to major platforms, the studio may struggle to recover development costs, potentially leading to closure.

In its statement, **Epic Games** cited a violation of its guidelines as the reason for the decision. The company pointed out «inappropriate content» and materials related to animal violence. Additionally, the game received an «Adults Only» rating when filling out the IARC questionnaire, and EGS does not host products with such a rating.

**Santa Ragione** has filed an appeal, disputing **Epic Games’** findings and reminding them that the game initially received PEGI 18 and ESRB M ratings. Nevertheless, the store confirmed that the decision will stand.

In support of **HORSES**, GOG has stepped up, but this does not resolve the issue of access to the largest digital stores.