The horror game, which was refused release on Steam and Epic Games Store, became a sales hit on GOG, but this may not be enough to save the studio.
Italian studio Santa Ragione, known for the horror games Saturnalia and Horses, is still on the verge of closing. This was revealed by co-founder and producer Pietro Righi Riva in an interview with Polygon.
According to Riva, public support and attention after the scandal with the blocking of Horses on Steam and Epic Games "played a huge role", but still could not save the studio. Sales increased significantly after a wave of publications and player reactions, but this was not enough to return Santa Ragione to a stable financial state.
According to developers' estimates, Horses sold about 10,000 copies in the first week — an impressive result for a game that was not allowed on the largest platforms. Nevertheless, the revenues did not even cover the investors' investments. Riva noted that in the future the project may pay off, but the funds will still not be enough to develop a new game or continue the studio's activities.
Riva emphasized that Santa Ragione has not yet closed and still hopes for a miracle in the form of an investor. However, according to him, the probability that Horses will be the last game of the studio remains extremely high.
As a reminder, Horses was banned from publication first on Steam, and then on the Epic Games Store. Representatives of Valve and Epic cited "unacceptable content" and "propaganda of violence against animals". Despite this, on December 2, the game was still released on GOG, where it unexpectedly topped the sales charts.
