GOG just positioned itself as the good guy in a messy Steam controversy. After Valve permanently banned the indie horror game Horses from its platform, CD Projekt’s DRM-free storefront publicly announced support for the embattled developer Santa Ragione. The statement came with thinly veiled criticism of Steam’s approach and opened pre-orders to help the studio avoid closure.
GOG’s statement pulls no punches. The platform said it’s proud to give Horses a home and emphasized that players should be able to choose the experiences that speak to them. That’s a direct philosophical contrast to Valve’s decision to blacklist the game entirely without room for appeal or modification. The timing matters too, coming just days before the game’s December 2, 2025 launch on every major PC storefront except Steam.
What Actually Happened With Steam
The ban started back in 2023 when Santa Ragione tried creating a Coming Soon page for Horses on Steam. Valve asked for a playable build before approving the page, which was unusual according to the developer. The studio scrambled to put together a halfway-complete version with placeholder content just to satisfy Steam’s request.
Valve rejected it. The reason provided was vague language about content depicting sexual conduct involving a minor, regardless of developer intentions. Santa Ragione says Valve never pointed to specific scenes or elements that violated guidelines. The studio offered multiple times to modify any problematic content. Valve refused to engage further and told the developer the decision was final.
This left Santa Ragione in an impossible position. They spent two years and over $100,000 developing Horses with the expectation of launching on Steam, which dominates PC game sales. Being locked out of that market puts the entire studio at high risk of closure according to co-founder Pietro Righi Riva. The situation became public when the developer detailed their attempts to appeal the decision and the subsequent silence from Valve.
The Controversial Content Nobody Can Agree On
So what exactly is Horses? It’s an experimental first-person horror game set on a farm where humans wear horse masks and get treated like actual horses. Players experience 14 days of escalating psychological horror through live-action sequences and gameplay that deliberately makes you uncomfortable. The game features nudity, disturbing imagery, and themes examining power, obedience, and violence.
Santa Ragione believes the ban stems from an incomplete scene in that early build. Day six of the game features a man bringing his young daughter to the farm. She wants to ride one of the horses, which remember are naked adults wearing horse masks. The interaction involves the player character leading a naked woman on a leash while a child rides on her shoulders.
Key aspects of the controversy:
- Valve claims the game depicts sexual conduct involving a minor, triggering an automatic ban
- Santa Ragione insists no children or minors appear in sexual contexts and the scene was misunderstood
- The rejected build was an unfinished placeholder version not representative of the final product
- Valve refused to review updated builds or allow any modifications
- Other platforms including Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch.io, and Humble Store approved the game without changes
Why GOG’s Response Matters
Platform holders rarely criticize each other publicly. The industry tends toward professional courtesy even when disagreeing behind closed doors. GOG breaking that pattern says something about how significant this controversy has become within the indie development community.
The statement emphasizes player choice and creative freedom, values GOG has built its brand around. The platform made Horses visible on its homepage, alerted press and social media followers, and opened pre-orders immediately to provide financial support during what the developer called a difficult time. This represents active intervention rather than passive hosting.
GOG’s approach also highlights its positioning as the preservation and creator-friendly alternative to Steam. The platform launched its Preservation Program in November 2024 to ensure classic games remain playable on modern systems. Earlier in 2025, GOG created FreedomToBuy.games to protest the delisting of controversial titles. Supporting Horses fits that established pattern of backing content other platforms won’t touch.
Steam’s Monopoly Problem
Understanding why this matters requires acknowledging Steam’s market dominance. The platform controls an estimated 70 to 75 percent of PC game sales. For indie developers without massive marketing budgets, Steam access can determine whether a game succeeds or disappears into obscurity.
| Platform | Status for Horses | Policy Transparency |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | Permanently banned | Minimal details, no appeal process |
| GOG | Approved, featured placement | Direct communication with developers |
| Epic Games Store | Approved for launch | Worked with developer on submission |
| Itch.io | Approved for launch | Open platform with minimal restrictions |
| Humble Store | Approved for launch | Standard review process |
When one platform holds that much power, its moderation decisions carry outsized consequences. Santa Ragione estimates they need tens of thousands of sales just to break even on development costs. Losing access to 70 percent of the PC market makes that nearly impossible, which is why the studio faces potential closure.
The opacity makes it worse. Valve’s automated systems and minimal human communication leave developers guessing about what violated guidelines and how to fix it. Pietro Righi Riva told multiple outlets that the lack of professional respect and clarity throughout the process felt profoundly disheartening after years of work.
The Artistic Freedom Debate
Santa Ragione frames this as censorship of legitimate artistic expression. The studio argues that Horses uses disturbing imagery deliberately to critique power structures, religious authority, and violence. The discomfort is the point, not gratuitous shock value. They position the game alongside other art that challenges viewers through confrontation rather than comfort.
Valve’s perspective remains mostly unknown since the company provided only brief statements confirming the ban is final. The company points to policies about depicting minors in sexual contexts regardless of developer intention. From Valve’s view, the line was crossed and no amount of context changes that fundamental violation.
The truth likely sits somewhere complicated. Horses deliberately traffics in transgressive imagery that makes people uncomfortable. A scene featuring a child interacting with a naked adult in any context triggers reasonable concerns. But the scene as described doesn’t appear explicitly sexual, and the final version might have handled it very differently than the placeholder build Valve reviewed.
What Happens Next
Horses launches December 2, 2025 everywhere except Steam. Whether the game finds commercial success without Steam access remains uncertain. GOG’s high-profile support helps with visibility, but can’t replace the raw traffic volume Steam provides.
The controversy itself might drive sales through curiosity and support for the embattled developer. Reddit discussions show significant sympathy for Santa Ragione’s position and criticism of Valve’s opaque process. Some players will buy the game specifically because Steam banned it, viewing the purchase as a statement about creative freedom.
For the broader industry, this situation highlights ongoing tensions around platform moderation. Developers want clear guidelines and responsive communication when content gets flagged. Platforms face impossible decisions balancing creative expression against community standards and legal liability. When one platform controls the majority of a market, those decisions have life-or-death consequences for small studios.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Steam ban the game Horses?
Valve stated the ban relates to content that appears to depict sexual conduct involving a minor, regardless of developer intentions. Santa Ragione believes an incomplete scene from an early build triggered the ban, where a child rides on the shoulders of a naked adult wearing a horse mask. Valve provided minimal details and refused to allow modifications or review updated builds.
What is Horses about?
Horses is an experimental first-person horror game set on a farm where humans wear horse masks and get treated like horses. Players experience 14 days of psychological horror through live-action sequences and gameplay examining themes of power, obedience, faith, and violence. The game deliberately uses disturbing and transgressive imagery to make players uncomfortable as part of its artistic statement.
Where can I buy Horses if Steam banned it?
Horses launches December 2, 2025 on Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch.io, and Humble Store. All of these platforms approved the game without requiring content changes. GOG is actively promoting the game with homepage placement and opened pre-orders to support developer Santa Ragione.
Will Santa Ragione close because of the Steam ban?
Studio co-founder Pietro Righi Riva stated the company faces a high risk of closure due to the Steam ban. The developer spent over $100,000 and two years creating Horses with the expectation of launching on Steam, which controls roughly 70 percent of PC game sales. Losing access to that market makes recovering development costs significantly harder.
Did Valve give a reason for banning Horses?
Valve provided only vague guidance citing policies against content depicting sexual conduct involving minors. The company did not identify specific scenes or elements that violated guidelines and refused to engage with the developer’s multiple appeals or offers to modify content. Steam told Santa Ragione the decision was final with no path to reversal.
Has Horses been changed for other platforms?
No. Santa Ragione stated that Horses releasing on other platforms is the game as they originally intended. The studio did not alter or censor content for Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch.io, or Humble Store. Those platforms approved the game without requesting changes, unlike Steam which rejected it entirely.
What did GOG say about supporting Horses?
GOG released a statement saying the platform is proud to give Horses a home and that players should be able to choose the experiences that speak to them. The DRM-free storefront opened pre-orders, featured the game on its homepage, and alerted press and social media to support Santa Ragione during what GOG called a difficult time. The statement represents implicit criticism of Steam’s ban.
The Bigger Picture
This controversy extends beyond one game or one developer. It represents fundamental questions about who decides what art gets made and how those decisions happen. Steam’s market dominance means Valve effectively controls access to the PC gaming market for most developers. When that power gets exercised through opaque processes with no appeal mechanism, it raises legitimate concerns about arbitrary censorship.
At the same time, platforms face real legal and community pressure to moderate content. Drawing lines around acceptable material requires judgment calls that will never satisfy everyone. The difference between artistic transgression and exploitative content isn’t always clear, especially when reviewing incomplete builds with placeholder assets.
GOG positioning itself as the alternative that respects creative freedom and player choice makes business sense. The platform can’t compete with Steam on raw user numbers or infrastructure, but it can compete on values. Supporting controversial games other platforms reject builds loyalty with both developers and players who prioritize those principles. Whether that translates to sustainable business remains an open question, but for now, GOG is making its position clear.