Sony sues Tencent over "Horizon" clone

Philipp Rüegg

29/7/2025

Translation: machine translated

"Light of Motiram" is a brazen copy of the "Horizon" games, says Sony. Tencent has tried twice in vain to licence the brand from Sony.

Those who saw the trailer last November will not be surprised by the claim. The Header image of «Light of Motiram» is inevitably reminiscent of Sony's open-world action game «Horizon Zero Dawn». Both games rely on a similar post-post-apocalyptic scenario with a red-haired protagonist and dino-like robots.

Sony describes «Light of Motiram» as «slavish clone», which translates as: slavish imitation. In other words, a detailed replica that has no significant differences. The Japanese company has now taken legal action against Tencent. The aim is clear: the game should not be allowed to appear in its current form. The lawsuit was filed in a Californian court.

Tencent allegedly wanted the «Horizon» licence

The documents submitted by Sony's lawyers compare various aspects of the game, such as the protagonist and various robot creatures. At first glance, they also look very similar.

The whole thing is strongly reminiscent of «Palworld». A lawsuit was also filed there. However, Nintendo focussed on certain mechanics rather than outward appearances - and has already recorded its first success.

Another interesting aspect of the «Horizon» lawsuit is Sony's claim that Tencent wanted to licence the brand. Sony suspects that the game was already in development at the time. Tencent's Aurora Studios was supposed to take care of the realisation. The «Horizon» name was to be retained and the setting expanded to include Chinese influences.

Sony also speculates that Polaris Quest, currently listed as the studio behind «Light of Motiram», is either another name for Aurora Studios or the two are working together.

Tencent has not yet commented on the lawsuit.

Update: The description «slavish clone» is more detailed.

Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur. more

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