Tencent Attacks Sony Lawsuit Over Game Accused Of Copying Horizon

Last year, gamers pointed out strong similarities between images from Tencent’s new game, Light of Motiram, and Sony’s Horizon series. Sony took legal action, suing Tencent over the resemblance. Now, Tencent is responding by claiming the lawsuit is unfounded and asking the court to dismiss the case.

Tencent argues that Sony is trying to unfairly claim ownership over a common type of game story, as reported by The Game Post. They believe Sony’s assertion that Horizon Zero Dawn is entirely unique is false – even the game’s creators disagree – and represents an illegal attempt to monopolize standard elements within the gaming genre.

Tencent reports that Jan-Bart Van Beek, the art director for Horizon Zero Dawn, admitted the game shared visual similarities with an older game called Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Tencent says Sony initially cancelled Horizon due to these similarities, but later decided to move forward with production.

Sony initially claimed a March 2024 discussion with Tencent about a possible mobile game based on the Horizon series was ultimately turned down. While Tencent confirms the meeting happened, they argue that no one from Tencent’s leadership team attended, and Sony hasn’t proven that anything discussed at the meeting actually harmed their business.

The motion also argues that Tencent Holdings, Tencent America, and Proxima Beta U.S. should be removed from the lawsuit, as Sony hasn’t provided enough evidence to support its claims against them. The game, Light of Motiram, is being created by two companies linked to Tencent: Polaris Quest / Aurora Studios and Proxima Beta PTE Ltd., a Singapore-based subsidiary.

Tencent points out that because Light of Motiram isn’t out yet, any claims of copyright infringement are premature, and may not even happen at all.

Soon after Sony sued them, Tencent made changes to the Steam page for Light of Motiram, taking down images that looked similar to Horizon. The game is currently planned for release in 2027.

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2025-09-18 20:10