Horses, an experimental horror game from Italian developer Santa Ragione, has been banned from both Steam and Epic Games Store. The game, which features naked human characters with horse heads, was deemed too controversial for the platforms.
Creative director Andrea Lucco Borlera conceived the game while studying film, inspired by a surreal image of people acting like animals. The game blends live-action clips with gameplay, and all dialogue appears in title cards, reminiscent of silent films.
Players take on the role of a young man working on a farm for 14 days, tasked with tending the garden and dining with an enigmatic farmer. The narrative quickly darkens, involving disturbing scenes and a content warning that includes physical violence, psychological abuse, and sexual assault.
Borlera struggled to find a publisher until a chance meeting with Pietro Righi Riva, co-founder of Santa Ragione, who decided to back the project. 'I'm not sure if it will sell well, but it should exist,' Riva told Borlera.
The ban has sparked debate about content moderation on digital storefronts, with some praising the decision and others defending the game's artistic merit.
