Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent, accusing the company of creating a "slavish clone" of its "valuable" Horizon franchise

Sony has initiated a legal action for copyright infringement against Tencent, accusing the company of creating a "blatant imitation" of its prominent Horizon franchise with their forthcoming game, Light of Motiram. Sony described the series as "among its most prized intellectual properties."

Detailed in court documents and reported by Reuters, Sony seeks a jury trial over claims of copyright and trademark violations and wishes to prevent the approaching launch of Tencent's new game. The gaming giant accuses Tencent of "mimicking" Horizon’s main character, Aloy, in a manner likely to mislead fans into mistaking Light of Motiram for an entry in the Horizon series, as seen in promotional game videos and social media platforms.

The legal filing outlines that, allegedly, Tencent began developing Light of Motiram in 2023 covertly, featuring a red-haired female protagonist in a struggle for survival amidst robotic creatures in a post-apocalyptic setting, mirroring the Horizon series. Documents include a presentation slide showing Tencent developers highlighting their loyalty as fans by displaying their PlayStation Network achievements.

According to the submission, in March 2024, during a gaming event in San Francisco, Tencent approached Sony with a proposal to jointly develop a Horizon game through collaboration with SIE. Sony declined the proposal, believing the matter to be resolved.

The lawsuit further asserts that Tencent proceeded with the development of Light of Motiram, thereby violating Sony’s intellectual property rights.

Sony cites public opinions, noting that upon viewing the game's trailer, many gamers and gaming commentators observed that Light of Motiram is evidently an imitation of titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.

Efforts to amicably resolve the situation with Tencent reportedly resulted in the latter attempting once more to obtain licensing for the Horizon IP. Sony firmly dismissed these initiatives and objected again when promotional content for Light of Motiram emerged. It notes that Tencent has disregarded Sony’s opposition and intends to progress with its plans.

GamesIndustry.biz has been contacted for reactions from both Sony and Tencent.