@TomF
4. they rated for what they thought was correct, but the reviewers on the corp side had a different opinion
In the Steam case, it seems one scene in particular could be misinterpreted, and it was changed, but the reviewers refused to re-evaluate the game after the change.
https://www.ign.com/articles/horses-the-upsetting-horror-game-previously-banned-on-steam-gets-last-minute-ban-from-epic-games-store-too
This, plus the inconsistency in the Epic rating (an M reported to the studio that was later transformed into AO), does not suggest foul play on the studio side, but on the store side.