Sony sues Tencent for ‘slavish clone’ of Horizon with Light of Motiram

Sony has sued Tencent, alleging the Chinese tech giant as created a “slavish clone” of its Horizon franchise with the upcoming game Light of Motiram.

Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent and accused the Chinese company of creating a “slavish clone” of its Horizon franchise with the upcoming game Light of Motiram.

The legal action was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on 25 July and alleges that Tencent, alongside its subsidiaries Polaris Quest and Aurora Studios, directly copied key elements from Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.

According to Sony’s complaint, Light of Motiram mirrors Horizon’s distinctive gameplay and design features, including the portrayal of a red-haired protagonist battling mechanical creatures in post-apocalyptic landscapes.

The lawsuit claims that Tencent initially approached Sony with a licensing proposal for a Horizon-based project at GDC 2024, which was rejected, but later proceeded with Light of Motiram regardless.

Sony described the similarities between the two properties as “so blatant that the public has described it as ‘crazy,’ ‘insane,’ and ‘shameless’”.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the release of Light of Motiram, alongside financial damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work.

Sony has also requested that all promotional and marketing materials for the game be removed.

Tencent has yet to respond publicly to the claims, and Light of Motiram remains listed on digital storefronts such as Steam and the Epic Games Store.