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Sony Sues Tencent for Copyright Infringement, Says Its Game Is 'Slavish Clone' of Horizon Franchise

Sony Sues Tencent for Copyright Infringement, Says Its Game Is 'Slavish Clone' of Horizon Franchise

In court documents, Sony confirmed the Horizon franchise had sold over 38 million copies.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 29 July 2025 21:33 IST

Sony Sues Tencent for Copyright Infringement, Says Its Game Is 'Slavish Clone' of Horizon Franchise

Photo Credit: Tencent

Light of Motiram features mechanical beasts similar to Horizon games

Highlights

Sony is seeking monetary damages from Tencent
Tencent allegedly offered to collaborate with Sony on next Horizon game
Sony said Tencent's game copied story, gameplay from Horizon games

Sony has brought a lawsuit against Tencent in the US, accusing the Chinese firm of infringing its copyright with an upcoming game that it says closely resembles its Horizon franchise. Tencent announced Light of Motiram, an open-world survival title, last year, that instantly caught people's attention for its similarities to Horizon games. As per Reuters, Sony is now suing the company, claiming the game is a “slavish clone” of its first-party action-adventure franchise.

Sony Sues Tencent Over Copyright Infringement

According Reuters' report, Sony said in its lawsuit that Tencent's Light of Motiram copies several elements from Guerrilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Horizon Forbidden West. The offending game could, Sony argued, confuse customers.

Sony further claimed in its lawsuit that Tencent had approached it with an offer to collaborate on a new "Horizon" game in 2024, which the PlayStation parent declined. Tencent then went on and announced Light of Motiram, which — according to the Reuters report —Sony said featured gameplay, story themes and artistic elements identical to Horizon games.

Tencent's New Open-World Game Looks Eerily Similar to Sony's Horizon Series

Sony is seeking monetary damages from Tencent and an injunction blocking the company from infringing its intellectual property.

Light of Motiram was announced in November 2024 and instantly drew criticism for its visual and thematic similarities to Horizon games. The Tencent game features tameable mechanical animals, called “Mechanimals”, and is set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness — both very reminiscent of Horizon Zero Dawn. The game also features survival and crafting elements similar to Palworld. Light of Motiram is developed by Polaris Quest and is currently available to wishlist on Steam. Tencent has not confirmed a release date for the game yet.

In its lawsuit, Sony has also finally confirmed franchise sales for Horizon games. According to court documents, as spotted by X user @shinobi602, the Horizon franchise has sold over 38 million copies globally. Sony's franchise sales number would include the two mainline Horizon games and their DLC content, the remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn, Lego Horizon Adventures spinoff, and Horizon Call of the Mountain VR title.

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Further reading: Sony, Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, Tencent, Light of Motiram

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More