Sony asked the court for a preliminary injunction Motiram Light manufacturer Tencent has stopped the Chinese megacorporation from launching pre-release promotion for an upcoming adventure game by filing its objection to Tencent’s request to dismiss a high-profile copyright lawsuit.
Sony has claimed that Tencent’s upcoming game, Light of Motiram, is nothing more than a “slave clone.” Horizon Zero DawnAND In tardy July, he filed a copyright lawsuit in a California courtpointing out numerous similarities and comparing various marketing screenshots from both games, as well as their descriptions. As we explained at the time, Light of Motiram, like Horizon, takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by giant robot dinosaurs that roam enormous, natural environments such as tropical forests, deserts, and snowy mountains. Both games even feature red-haired heroines who wear very similar outfits and styles and operate devices similar to Aloy’s “Focus” headphones.
Just days after Sony filed its lawsuit claiming that the upcoming game was a “slave clone” of HorizonTencent quietly updated its Light of Motiram page on Steam and replaced several screenshots, including the cover photo, before responding to Sony’s lawsuit, claiming it was only using “well-worn” tropes and suggesting the PlayStation developer’s game was too similar to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
Tencent then fired back describing Sony’s lawsuit as an exaggerationfeaturing other game series with elements similar to Horizon Zero Dawn, such as The Legend of Zelda and Far Cry. “What was surprising,” Tencent said, was that Sony was now trying to claim that Horizon’s concept was original and not based on “ubiquitous genre ingredients.”
Now, as reported Game postSony dismissed Tencent’s response as “nonsense,” saying the “damage has been done – and continues” and accusing the Chinese company of trying to minimize its involvement by using shell entities, even though the Chinese company remains “at the helm.”
“The copying was so egregious that many Horizon journalists and fans called Light of Motiram a “major Horizon rip-off,” an “obvious knockoff,” a “copycat” whose main character “resembles Aloy in every way” and “extremely similar to Horizon Zero Dawn,” Sony wrote.
But that’s not all. As he noticed Fray GamesSony also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent Tencent from using a red-haired character in Light of Motiram, as well as other visual or plot elements similar to those in the Horizon series. He hopes the order will be passed by the end of the year.
Tencent, however, maintains that given the planned release date of Q4 2027, Sony “cannot hope to show ‘immediate threat of injury,’ which is a prerequisite for a preliminary injunction,” given that the game is so far from launch. Statements from several key stakeholders are included, including Guerrilla’s head of music, Lucas van Tol and artist Jan-Bart Van Beet, who say they were “shocked” when they saw Motiram Light, with Van Beet writing: “Tencent’s promotional materials feature visuals almost identical to SIE Horizon’s promotional materials.”
“After spending over a decade creating and developing the Horizon series, it was disappointing that our work was copied to such a significant extent,” he wrote. “Rather than spend the years and money we invested in creating the Horizon world, Light of Motiram simply copied it, ignoring the investment we made – and the significant risk we took – in developing Horizon.”
He continued: “There is an even greater risk of harm to the Horizon series if Light of Motiram, upon release, is not of the same high quality as the Horizon games. The confusion caused by Light of Motiram promotions has already disrupted our existing Horizon development strategy, as there is a risk that a future expansion could be misinterpreted as copying Light of Motiram.”
Van Tol wrote: “I reviewed the music and sounds in Light of Motiram’s promotional materials. I found striking similarities between their promotional trailer and Horizon’s music. Light of Motiram’s promotional materials incorporate the same core characteristics of Horizon’s sound, including pillars, instrumentation, intimacy of the lead female voice, melodic composition and rhythm, creating similar general atmosphere.”
The case continues.
Vikki Blake is an IGN reporter, critic, columnist and consultant with over 15 years of experience working with some of the world’s largest gaming sites and publications. She is also a Guardian, a Spartan, a Silent Hillian, a Legend, and an eternally High Chaos. Find her on Blue Sky.
