Sony sues Tencent for copying Horizon Zero Dawn in Light of Motiram game

Sony accuses Tencent of copyright infringement

Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent, alleging that Light of Motiram, an upcoming open-world hunting game, copies almost all elements of the Horizon series, including Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and Lego Horizon Adventures.

The lawsuit, first reported by Reuters, points out that Light of Motiram bears striking similarities to Sony's Horizon brand.

Similarities between Light of Motiram and Horizon

According to the lawsuit, Light of Motiram not only copied the post-apocalyptic setting where humans and machines coexist, but also mimicked the character's appearance and the way Sony promoted the Horizon brand online.

Sony called Light of Motiram a “slave copy” of Horizon, something Engadget and other media outlets noted when Tencent announced the game in November 2024.

The most "fatal" point in Sony's lawsuit is that Tencent tried to license the Horizon IP before announcing Light of Motiram. Sony said the company wanted to "develop its own Horizon game in cooperation with SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment)", and proposed licensing the Horizon IP to create a mobile game that featured "Oriental aesthetics" and elements such as "survival and crafting, pet taming, [multiplayer mode], etc."

After Sony rejected the offer, Tencent still announced Light of Motiram, featuring many of the mechanics they had proposed and using many of the recognizable visual elements of the Horizon brand.

Sony is asking the court to ban Tencent from further development or distribution of Light of Motiram, as well as damages and the destruction of all content related to the game. Tencent must now respond to the allegations, which are considered quite challenging based on the evidence Sony has presented.