On July 25th, Sony filed a lawsuit against Chinese giant Tencent, claiming copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s all because of what Sony called a “shameless” clone of Horizon Zero Dawn being published by Tencent called Light of Motiram.
Let’s back up and get some context here. According to Sony’s legal documents, back in 2024 Tencent approached Sony with a proposed collaboration for a Horizon mobile game. Sony declined, and Tencent subsequently announced Light of Motiram as an independent game not tied to the Horizon series. The problem is, it sure looks a lot like it’s tied to the Horizon series.
The lawsuit claims not only general thematic and design similarities—including a red-haired, tribal protagonist reminiscent of Horizon’s Aloy and post-apocalyptic landscapes filled with robot creatures—but also accuses Tencent of imitating the Horizon music by hiring a composer from Horizon Forbidden West. The complaint also alleges misleading marketing tactics by Tencent, suggesting a direct connection between the two franchises where none exists. Sony specifically points to the main character looking like Aloy, which Sony says is being used to make potential customers think Light of Motiram is part of Horizon.
And…well, yeah. When you look at the trailer for Light of Motiram, there really is a heavy Horizon vibe. Some of the robot dinosaurs look so similar to what Aloy has battled that, at a glance, I would easily confuse them with something out of Horizon Zero Dawn or Forbidden West. Gamers immediately noticed the obvious similarities, posting comments that called out Tencent for copying Sony’s homework. As one user said, “Wtf? They even copied the grass…”
With that said, it is fair to say that the trailer did show elements that were not ripped straight out of Horizon. Not many, sure, but a few.
Sony is seeking the usual monetary damages (some sources cite $150,000 per piece of work infringed) and is also looking to get the release of Light of Motiram stopped entirely. Should Sony be success, the total damages would likely be in the double-digit millions.
As always, I’m no legal expert so I have no idea who will come out on top in this lawsuit. But I will say that Tencent’s game does look like a rather blatant ripoff of Horizon.