Developer Santa Ragione is reporting that its controversial indie horror sport Horses offered 18,000 copies in two weeks. That was apparently sufficient to save lots of the studio from monetary wreck, however maybe not sufficient to pay for manufacturing a second sport.
Based on a press release launched by the builders, Horses generated $65,000 in web income, which allowed Santa Ragione to repay its loans and pay the royalties it owed to Andrea Lucco Borlera, the writer and creator of Horses. Nevertheless, the earnings will not permit the workforce to right away start engaged on one other sport.
“This consequence isn’t sufficient to start manufacturing on a brand new sport,” reads the assertion. “The cash primarily covers obligations created by a protracted finish of growth. If gross sales stay regular, we might be able to fund a brand new prototype sooner or later, however the workforce has needed to, and can proceed to, take different jobs and initiatives within the meantime. Reuniting everybody won’t be simple, even whether it is one thing we’d love.”
It’s been an uphill battle for Santa Ragione and Horses. The studio not too long ago revealed that its title had been banned by Steam in 2023 with out rationalization. Subsequently, Horses was additionally banned by Epic Video games Store and Humble Bundle simply earlier than its launch.
The cancellation of Horses by three of the key PC sport distributors comes after a current effort to focus on adult-oriented video games on storefronts like Steam and Itch. There’s positively materials meant for mature audiences in Horses, however the growth workforce is looking for extra transparency within the trade after it says it wasn’t given an opportunity to make any modifications to Horses to ensure that it to be launched on Steam.
“We additionally need to emphasize that this final result shouldn’t distract from the broader subject at stake: the necessity for clearer guidelines, clear processes, and significant accountability from close to monopolistic distribution platforms and the methods they implement,” wrote Santa Ragione’s spokesperson. “For each case like Horses that turns into seen, there are lots of extra video games which are quietly banned, delisted, or trapped in indefinite assessment for unclear causes, with builders too fearful about retaliation or future approval to talk publicly. We’re grateful to the journalists and retailers who’ve reported, and who will proceed to report, on these circumstances.”