After 2 years and $100,000 invested, acclaimed indie studio is “likely closing” due to Steam ban, says it was “tricked and betrayed” by Valve: “A system that allows that is broken”

Renowned Italy-based independent studio Santa Ragione states that its forthcoming experimental horror title Horses will likely be its concluding endeavor due to a Steam prohibition it describes as “incredibly aggravating and also messed up.”

Santa Ragione may not be a common name, yet it has a portfolio of praised releases such as the 2023 visual narrative Mediterranea Inferno and that year’s survival horror title, Saturnalia, along with a brand recognized for its surrealistic motifs and avant-garde narratives. Their upcoming game Horses, unveiled in 2023, aims to push the limits further, but for reasons that remain obscure to Santa Ragione, it has been restricted from Steam, potentially becoming a financial disaster that could lead the studio to collapse.

The studio expressed its current belief that the moment prompting Valve’s ruling involved a “horse” – depicted as a naked adult female – bearing a youthful girl on her back. For artistic reasons, Santa Ragione eventually altered the scene to show an adult on the horse, but Valve has stood firm after years of both indirect and direct communication from the studio, even though other significant PC platforms like the Epic Games Store, GOG, and the Humble Store have been accommodating toward selling the game.

Santa Ragione also clarifies in its FAQ that Horses is not “pornographic” nor “[intended] to induce arousal,” but employs “provocative, unconventional content to spark discussion” and “challenges players to contemplate why something evokes such feelings, what it conveys about the characters and systems involved, and where their boundaries lie. It concerns tension, not sexual themes.”

Prior to the Steam ban, Santa Ragione had already committed approximately $50,000 into Horses and had to seek assistance from friends for an additional $50,000 required to bring the project to fruition after traditional financiers and publishers withdrew due to Valve’s choice. Now, “without access to over 75 percent of the PC gaming market,” the studio does not anticipate recovering its investment and will likely face closure.

“Steam’s refusal eliminated our main avenue to connect with players on PC, with no means to appeal and no clear route to compliance, as elaborated in our

FAQ,” states the announcement. “Steam has also ceased providing developer keys to independent creators that fail to meet unspecified sales criteria, restricting third-party transactions and retrospectively impacting our inventory.

“In an effective monopoly, unclear choices like these can swiftly influence a small studio’s existence.”

Santa Ragione mentions it possesses adequate resources to support Horses post-launch with bug rectifications and enhancements, but there won’t be any new endeavors at the studio unless it somehow recovers its expenditures.

“The team and I have been profoundly disheartened, aware not only that we did our utmost to overturn this choice, but also that we offered to adhere to any request or guideline, yet still we were treated without the professional regard the situation warranted,” Riva conveyed to Game Developer.

“It is alarming, humiliating, and condescending to hear ‘no, simply because’ from entities that wield complete authority over your financial security,” he continued. “I think I personally resonate with what we articulated in the announcement when we assert this type of behavior drives creators toward self-censorship. Lacking clear limits on what I am permitted to create and publish is discouraging, and the opposite of an atmosphere that fosters and promotes creativity.”

I have reached out to Valve for a statement and will refresh this tale should I receive a response.

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After obtaining an English degree from ASU, I served as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for outlets like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I received my significant opportunity here in 2019 with a freelance news position, and I was brought on as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer in 2021. This role means I oversee the site’s western regional management, AKA my home office, and write about whatever horror game I’m too intimidated to complete.