Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against gaming giant Tencent, claiming their upcoming game Light of Motiram is a “slavish clone” of Sony’s acclaimed Horizon series. The legal action comes after Tencent approached Sony last year seeking to license the Horizon IP for a collaboration, only to be rejected.
According to the lawsuit, Tencent went ahead and developed Light of Motiram anyway, which Sony says rips off major elements from both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. The similarities show up in a bunch of ways—gameplay mechanics, story themes, and the look and feel of the games.
The Horizon series, made by Sony’s Guerrilla Games studio, drops players into a post-apocalyptic world where tribal societies live alongside robotic animals in the remains of a lost civilization. The franchise has become one of Sony’s big names since Horizon Zero Dawn first launched in 2017, with Horizon Forbidden West following in 2022.
Sony’s lawsuit calls out several parts they think Tencent copied. This includes a game world filled with animal-like robot creatures, a main character that looks a lot like Aloy, similar post-apocalyptic tribal vibes, and gameplay features like gliders, robotic mounts, and scanning tech.
What makes this case a real standout is that Tencent knew all about the Horizon series beforehand. Sony is using Tencent’s attempt to get a license as proof that Tencent pushed forward with something super similar after getting turned down.
Tencent, which sits at the top of China’s gaming industry and invests in studios like Riot Games and Epic Games, has been accused before of making games that are way too close to other titles. With big budgets and global reach, it launches most of its games in China, although sometimes fans elsewhere get access too.
Legal experts say cases like this can get messy—copyright law often protects specific art and code rather than big-picture ideas or gameplay. Still, Sony might have a stronger case thanks to the obvious artistic resemblance and the paper trail showing Tencent’s earlier interest in working with the Horizon brand.
If Sony wins the case, it could shut down Light of Motiram before it ever comes out, and maybe score Sony some damages. The lawsuit’s also got people talking about how hard it is to protect creative work in the gaming world, especially when companies from different countries are involved and the law isn’t always the same.
