Horizon Zero Originality? Sony Drags Tencent to Court Over Alleged Clone 'Light of Motiram'
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Sony's chucking a massive lawsuit at Tencent, accusing them of cloning Horizon with their new game "Light of Motiram," which has more similarities than a family reunion. Will this become a benchmark case for video game IP? Only time, and the courts, will tell.
Right, so Sony reckons Tencent got a little *too* inspired by Horizon, and honestly, looking at this "Light of Motiram" game, you can see why they're a bit miffed. Game Rant's reporting that Sony's slapping Tencent with a lawsuit, claiming copyright and trademark infringement. The gist? "Light of Motiram" looks suspiciously like Horizon, down to the red-haired, bow-wielding heroine. I mean, come on, folks.
It seems Polaris Quest, a Tencent subsidiary, is the studio behind "Light of Motiram," and from the moment the trailer dropped, the internet went wild pointing out the, ahem, *similarities*. Post-apocalyptic setting? Check. Nature reclaiming the world alongside cool robots? Check. Taming those robots? Double-check. It's almost like they just copy-pasted Aloy's adventure, isn't it? But what does this mean? Is it just a really, really big coincidence?
Sony's not buying it, apparently. Their lawsuit, filed in California, calls "Light of Motiram" a "slavish clone" of the Horizon series. They're not just after money (though they are asking for up to $150,000 per infringed work); they want the game blocked and all promotional material destroyed. Bloody hell, that's harsh! But fair, dinkum, if they've got a case.
The funny thing is, according to Sony, Tencent *did* ask to license the Horizon IP beforehand, but Sony said no. Awkward. It's like asking your mate for a sip of their beer, getting rejected, and then building your own brewery that makes a beer that tastes *exactly* the same.
Now, the internet's having a field day, calling the game "Horizon Zero Originality" (which is pretty good, I gotta admit) and generally roasting Tencent for the alleged blatant rip-off. This whole thing comes at a time when the gaming industry is already grappling with questions about inspiration versus outright copying. Remember the Palworld/Pokemon brouhaha? Sound familiar?
"Light of Motiram" is still listed on Steam with no release date, but I reckon that might change depending on how this legal battle goes. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Will Sony win and set a new precedent for game IP protection? Will Tencent argue it's all just "inspiration" and get away with it? Or, wildest case, will they settle and we see some kinda weird collaboration? The gaming industry: never a dull moment, eh?
Tags: Sony, Tencent, Horizon Zero Dawn, Lawsuit, Copyright Infringement
Original article: Game Rant