Analysis of Sony's lawsuit against Tencent with comments from legal experts: focus on intent, calculation of compensation, and other nuances

At the end of July, Sony filed a lawsuit against Tencent, accusing the Chinese company of copyright infringement. We have reconstructed the timeline of events and thoroughly examined the essence of the claims. To navigate the legal intricacies, we were assisted by specialists from Denuo and REVERA.

Light of Motiram (on the left), Horizon Zero Dawn (on the right)

Questions regarding the Sony lawsuit against Tencent and other legal nuances for App2Top were answered by Igor Matveev, senior lawyer at Denuo, and Kristina Voynilovich, lawyer at REVERA.

Let's begin with a brief timeline of the events leading up to the lawsuit. Some details were first revealed in official court documents.

February 2017 — the launch of the Horizon franchise, which PlayStation now calls one of its most important IPs (Sony repeatedly emphasizes its significance in the lawsuit, including references to the global success and sales of the series reaching 38 million copies).
2023 — Tencent begins development of Light of Motiram (according to Sony, they were unaware of the project until its public announcement).
March 2024 — executives from several Tencent departments meet with Sony representatives at the GDC conference and propose creating a game under the Horizon license but are declined.
November 2024 — Tencent publicly announces Light of Motiram, with PlayStation finding similarities to their franchise in trailers and other promotional materials.
Early 2025 — Sony attempts to negotiate with Tencent, demanding they halt the development of Light of Motiram. In response, the Chinese side proposes for the second time to create a game under the Horizon license and is again declined.
July 2025 — following unsuccessful negotiations, Sony files a lawsuit against Tencent, which is launching a new phase of the advertising campaign for Light of Motiram at this time.