Tencent’s Controversial ‘Horizon Copy’ Makes Changes After Sony Lawsuit

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The legal dispute between Sony and Tencent over a project resembling the popular “Horizon” series has had an effect, with elements identified in the ongoing lawsuit being taken out of the game “Light of Motiram”. Although references to “Horizon” appear to be deleted from “Light of Motiram’s” Steam page, Tencent subsidiary Polaris Quest has disclosed the release date for this game.

On the 25th of July, a lawsuit was initiated in a federal court in California by Sony against Tencent and one of its subsidiaries, Polaris Quest, over the upcoming open-world game titled “Light of Motiram.” Sony claimed that Tencent had unlawfully copied key aspects from their popular series, Horizon, to develop Light of Motiram. The main points of contention in Sony’s copyright infringement lawsuit against Tencent revolve around the similarities between the red-haired female protagonist in Light of Motiram and Aloy from Horizon, who both wield bows. Interestingly, Tencent had initially sought permission from Sony to license the Horizon IP for a potential mobile spin-off game in 2024, but Sony declined the proposal.

Light of Motiram Makes Changes Amid Horizon Lawsuit

Despite an ongoing lawsuit between Sony (the owner of the Horizon series) and Tencent, changes have been made to the Steam page for the game Light of Motiram. As per TheGamePost, the new description and images on the page seem to eliminate any connections to the Horizon series. Originally, the description mentioned “mechanimals” and “colossal machines” similar to those in the Horizon series, but these have been rephrased to be more general. Now, the game’s description emphasizes survival in a harsh environment against tough enemies and challenges. The images for Light of Motiram have also been altered to remove any likeness to Aloy, with robotic penguin and dog mascots replacing her on the key art. Furthermore, a tentative release date for Q4 2027 has been set for Light of Motiram.

Despite the fact that Light of Motiram has adapted its game due to legal issues, it’s not unique in doing so. For instance, the ongoing lawsuit between Nintendo and Pocketpair led to changes in Palworld, a popular survival game. The alterations removed any references to hitting monsters with a ball, similar to how a Pokemon trainer throws a Poke Ball.

As it stands now, both Sony’s and Nintendo’s legal cases are still ongoing. The modifications brought about by the Light of Motiram case might just be the beginning, as it seems that the ongoing dispute between Sony and Tencent could be a sign of more extensive intellectual property (IP) and trademark protection battles among significant video game creators.

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2025-08-10 04:35