Sony sues Tencent for “slavish clone” of its “valuable” Horizon franchise

Sony has filed a copyright lawsuit against Tencent, alleging the latter’s upcoming game Light of Motiram is a “slavish clone” of its tentpole Horizon series, calling the franchise “among its most valuable intellectual property.”

In court papers, as first reported by Reuters, Sony demands a jury trial for copyright and trademark infringement and prevent the “imminent” release of Tencent’s upcoming title, accusing it of “rip[ping] off” Horizon lead Aloy, “deliberatedly causing numerous game lovers to confuse Light of Motiram as the next game in the Horizon series with encountering Tencent’s promotional game play videos and social media accounts.”

“Upon information and belief, sometime in 2023 (and unbeknownst to Sony) Tencent started developing a video game called Light of Motiram which — just like Horizon — features a young, red-headed female protagonist and tribal groups fighting for survival among large robotic animals in a post-apocalyptic world,” the filing continues. The court documents include a slide from a presentation deck in which Tencent developers shared their PSN achievements with Sony to prove they are “[d]ie-hard fans.”

“In March 2024, at a gaming conference in San Francisco, California, Tencent executives approached Sony with a pitch: to develop its own Horizon game in collaboration with SIE,” the filing adds. “Sony rejected the idea and considered the matter closed.”

Sony then accuses Tencent of “secretly developing” Light of Motiram and deliberately infringing upon its IP.

“SIE is far from alone in recognizing the striking similarities that Tencent’s new Light of Motiram game shares with Horizon. Upon viewing the gameplay trailer, Internet users and gaming journalists agreed: Light of Motiram was a knock-off of Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and other games in the Horizon Franchise—the similarities are glaringly and immediately obvious.”

Sony states it met with Tencent to “informally resolve” the issue, where Tencent once again tried to license the Horizon IP. The former said it communicated “clearly and unequivocally” that this would not happen, and when it objected once again when marketing materials for Light of Motriam began circulating, stated Tencent had “since signalled it rejected Sony’s demands and would forge ahead.”

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to both Tencent and Sony for further comment.