After Tencent unveiled Light of Motiram, there was immediate backlash as many pointed out the striking resemblance it bore to Sony's Horizon franchise. From the character designs to the mechanical beasts, it was evident that the game was heavily inspired by Sony's popular series. It was recently revealed that Tencent had actually pitched a Horizon game to Sony in 2024, but it was rejected. Undeterred, Tencent went ahead and created a copy of the game instead. Sony wasted no time in filing a lawsuit against Tencent, claiming that Light of Motiram is a "slavish clone" of their games and would confuse consumers. They have requested unspecified damages and are seeking to block the release of the game. Light of Motiram is set to be a free-to-play game available on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, unless Sony's legal action intervenes. Additionally, NCSoft's Horizon MMO was cancelled before it was even announced, adding to the list of failed live service projects. However, a Horizon movie was announced earlier this year. Despite the controversy surrounding Light of Motiram, Horizon Forbidden West performed well in terms of sales. The series has continued to expand with story expansions, PC ports, remasters, and even a Lego spin-off game. It's clear that Sony is not backing down when it comes to protecting their intellectual property, as evidenced by their legal action against Tencent. Source: Reuters / Bluesky
