A week after the indie horror title Horses was banned from Steam, Epic Games has also decided not to host the game on its platform, mere hours before its official launch. Publisher Santa Ragione announced that Epic conveyed its decision on December 1, citing violations concerning “inappropriate content” and “hateful or abusive content”.

Epic has not outlined the specific reasons for disapproving of Horses but referenced what the publisher considers “broad and demonstrably incorrect claims”. An appeal from Santa Ragione was quickly dismissed without further explanation. Despite this setback, the game remains available on GOG, Itch.io, and Humble Store.

Epic’s communications chief Jake Jones stated, “We set clear guidelines for the content allowed on our store and found violations through our review process.”

While Horses does contain nudity and adult themes, Santa Ragione has emphasized that the game does not depict explicit sexual behavior. Their contention suggests that the issue lies more with public perception influenced by prior actions on its rejection by Steam.