A legal battle is brewing in the gaming world, ignited by striking similarities between Tencent’s upcoming title, Light of Motiram, and Sony’s popular Horizon series. When observant players highlighted these resemblances late last year, Sony swiftly responded with a lawsuit. Now, Tencent is vehemently challenging Sony’s claims, arguing that the case should be dismissed entirely, asserting it lacks merit.
In their motion to dismiss, Tencent accuses Sony of attempting to establish an ‘impermissible monopoly on genre conventions,’ effectively trying to ‘fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture’ as its exclusive territory. Tencent disputes Sony’s assertion that Horizon Zero Dawn is a uniquely original creation, pointing out that even the game’s own developers have indicated similarities to previous titles.
Specifically, Tencent highlights a behind-the-scenes documentary where Horizon Zero Dawn‘s art director, Jan-Bart Van Beek, acknowledged its visual resemblance to an earlier game, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Tencent alleges that Sony even temporarily halted development on Horizon due to these concerns before eventually moving forward with the project.
Sony’s initial lawsuit referenced a March 2024 meeting between the two companies regarding a potential Horizon mobile spin-off, which Sony ultimately rejected. While Tencent confirms the meeting occurred, they emphasize that no Tencent Holdings executives or employees were present. Furthermore, they claim Sony has failed to demonstrate any harm resulting from this meeting.
Tencent is also seeking the dismissal of Tencent Holdings, Tencent America, and Proxima Beta U.S. from the lawsuit, asserting that Sony cannot adequately substantiate its claims against these specific entities. They clarify that Light of Motiram is under development by Polaris Quest/Aurora Studios and Proxima Beta PTE Ltd., both Tencent-affiliated companies based in Singapore.
A key point of Tencent’s defense is that since Light of Motiram has yet to be released, the alleged infringements have not technically occurred and may never come to pass.
Interestingly, soon after Sony initiated legal action, Tencent updated Light of Motiram‘s Steam page, removing the imagery that drew comparisons to Horizon. The game is currently slated for release in 2027.
The article also featured an image gallery showcasing ‘The Best PC Games To Play In 2025’, offering readers a glimpse into upcoming titles beyond the immediate legal fray.