Horses sells 18,000 copies despite being banned on Steam and Epic Games Store

Developer Santa Ragione says the game has made enough to cover the studio's debts

Despite being pulled from multiple digital storefronts like Steam and the Epic Games Store, the controversial indie horror game Horses has sold 18,000 copies in the two weeks since its launch. The sales have provided the developer Santa Ragione (Saturnalia, Fotonica) with $65,000 in net revenue, allowing the studio to finally pay off the loans that were taken out to fund the last few months of the game's development.

"After paying the royalties owed to Andrea Lucco Borlera, the author and creator of Horses, these proceeds will be sufficient to repay the loans we took to finish development," the studio said in a press release. "We are extremely grateful to players and to everyone who supported the release by sharing the game and amplifying what happened around it."

Despite not being all that scandalous, Horses was inexplicably banned from Steam and pulled from the Epic Games store just before launch, which negatively impacted Santa Ragione's ability to market the game. Like many horror titles, Horses features themes of violence and sexual assault. Unlike many horror titles, all nudity is censored via a pixelation effect, and the game is entirely black-and-white, effectively censoring any blood. Horses is generally far tamer than one would expect, given all the controversy surrounding it. But that controversy has had a profoundly negative effect on its creators at Santa Ragione, and earlier this month, director Pietro Righi Riva told Polygon the studio may not make another game after Horses — a sentiment that was echoed in today's press release announcing the post-launch sales.

"Paying our debts is a success, and we are relieved," the studio shared. "At the same time, this result is not enough to begin production on a new game. The money primarily covers obligations created by a prolonged end of development. If sales remain steady, we may be able to fund a new prototype in the future, but the team has had to, and will continue to, take other jobs and projects in the meantime. Reuniting everyone will not be easy, even if it is something we would love."

While clearing their debts is a relief, it's also apparent that the game's developers are, understandably, still quite frustrated with Steam and Epic's bizarre censorship of the game — in part because it resulted in the costly development delays Santa Ragione had to take out loans to cover.

"We also want to be clear about why this success does not erase the impact of what happened," the press release continues. "The Steam ban, and the development delays that followed, forced us into a prolonged scramble for funding, with debt, opportunity cost, and team members taking other work. That fragmentation is a lasting consequence, even if the launch outcome has been meaningful and positive in important ways."

The future is unclear for Santa Ragione, but the studio did take the time to thank players, content creators, and members of the press for drawing attention to the controversy around the game's removal from PC storefronts (it's currently only available to purchase from GOG, Itch.io, and the Humble Store).

"We want to thank everyone who took a chance on the game, the press and creators who covered the story, and the partners who stood by us throughout the release," the studio said. "We also sincerely thank everyone who joined the conversation and gave the game a fair hearing."