Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has accused Tencent of developing a “slavish clone” of its popular Horizon series in a new lawsuit.
The lawsuit (shared online by Game File) was filed on July 25 in the Northern District of California and claims that Tencent’s upcoming open-world adventure title, Light of Motiram, is a “blatant” and “unlawful” copy of the Horizon franchise.
SIE explained Horizon has become one of its most valuable intellectual properties since debuting in 2017 and claims Tencent is attempting to benefit from that success by releasing a “rip off” that misappropriates the “overall tone, feel, sound, and appearance” of the series.
“The overall impression conveyed by Tencent’s adoption in Light of Motiram of the same high-fidelity, post-apocalyptic visual aesthetics blending lush natural environments, tribal culture, futuristic mechanical elements, and [ethereal] sounds primarily in the soprano register […] is substantially similar to the Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West audiovisual works and infringes the copyrights therein,” reads the suit.
Tencent is also accused of specifically adopting Sony’s approach to branding by using a “red-hair female main character” to market the title on social media. SIE claims it’s a tactic that “reflects a deliberate infringement of the Aloy character mark.”
Related:Kim Swift, former Portal lead developer, joins NEARstudios as COO
Sony claims Tencent sought to license the Horizon franchise
In what is perhaps the wildest accusation in the lawsuit, SIE claims that Tencent previously attempted to license the Horizon franchise in March 2024 to create a mobile title that would expand the series by incorporating “Eastern aesthetics.”
The PlayStation maker says Tencent’s pitch was rejected outright and that it considered the matter closed. It also, however, believes Tencent only made that approach after starting work on Light of Motiram and continued to “secretly” develop the title even after failing to secure the Horizon license.
SIE’s lawsuit includes multiple screenshots of the pitch deck (shown below) presented by Tencent during that 2024 meeting. The Japanese company says Tencent suggested the title would have “potential for Gaas adaption” and would look to incorporate gameplay elements such as survival, crafting, pet taming, and multiplayer game modes.
Image via Sony
“The pitch deck included mock-ups of Eastern-inspired designs and settings, including one of Aloy—Horizon’s lead female character—standing on the Great Wall of China,” continues the suit. “At no time during this meeting did Tencent disclose that it was already working on a game that was based on the Horizon IP assets.”
Related:Megabonk dev withdraws from The Game Awards over ‘unqualified’ nomination
SIE states it rejected Tencent’s pitch on April 8, 2025, because it didn’t make sense to pursue a Horizon universe crossover. Tencent announced Light of Motiram later that year.
As a result, SIE claims Tencent has violated the Copyright Act and is causing irreparable harm to its business. The company is seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction that will prevent Tencent from promoting and eventually selling Light of Motiram. It is also seeking damages, including up to $150,000 for each “separate work in the Horizon franchise infringed, and for Tencent to be ordered to deliver all infringing materials to SIE’s attorneys for destruction.
You can read the full lawsuit on Scribd (via Game File).