Sony Seeks Injunction Against Tencent’s Alleged Horizon Knockoff

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Sony is seeking a court order to stop Tencent from using parts of its game, *Light of Motiram*, arguing that it illegally copies elements from the popular *Horizon* series. Sony wants a judge to consider this request for an injunction—a temporary stop to the alleged copying—before the end of next year.

Since its announcement in November 2024, the game *Light of Motiram* has faced accusations of being too similar to *Horizon*. Sony seems to share these concerns and has taken legal action, suing Tencent for trademark and copyright violations. The lawsuit was filed in late July 2025 with a California court. In September 2025, Tencent responded by asking the court to dismiss the case, claiming that *Light of Motiram* simply uses common themes and ideas found in many games, including *Horizon*.

Sony Requests Preliminary Injunction Against Light of Motiram

Sony, the Japanese gaming company, has filed a request for a preliminary injunction against its Chinese competitor, Tencent, on October 15th. Sony is asking the judge to make Tencent change the design of the main character in its game Light of Motiram – a red-haired hunter – because it believes players could confuse her with Alloy from the Horizon series. Sony is also objecting to a melody in a trailer, claiming it too closely resembles two songs from the Horizon Zero Dawn soundtrack: a track called “City on the Mesa” by Joris de Man, and the game’s main theme.

Sony is asking the court to stop Tencent from using certain story details and images in its game, *Light of Motiram*. Sony believes the game closely copies elements from its own work, pointing to a combination of animal-inspired robots, colorful, futuristic landscapes, and tribal societies as evidence. According to a court filing from October 15th, Sony spent years and a significant amount of money developing these elements, and Tencent simply copied them. This claim of copying was originally made in Sony’s initial lawsuit against *Light of Motiram*.

Sony Wants Preliminary Injunction Hearing in November 2025

Sony has asked the court to schedule a hearing on November 20th regarding its request to stop certain actions. Judge Corley has three options: approve the hearing, delay it, or reject the request. Florian Mueller, an IP analyst at Games Fray, believes a preliminary injunction is unlikely right now. This is largely because the game *Light of Motiram* is still being developed, making it impossible to determine if any actual infringements will occur, as the game’s final form is still uncertain.

SIE spent years and a substantial amount of money – in the nine-figure range – to make every detail original and imaginative. Instead of innovating, Tencent simply copied their work.

So, I heard about the lawsuit over *Light of Motiram*, and it looks like Tencent is already making some small changes to how they’re advertising the game. Honestly, that’s pretty typical when these legal battles happen – it doesn’t mean they think they’re wrong, just that they’re trying to cover their bases and maybe reach a deal with Sony. Apparently, Tencent’s lawyers are going to fight against Sony’s request to temporarily stop the game from being released, and we might see that happen as early as late October 2025.

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2025-10-17 17:34