Tencent's Horizon Hustle: From Pitch to Potential Pilfering?
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Tencent pitched Sony on a Horizon mobile game set in Asia, got rejected, and then announced a game strikingly similar to Horizon, leading to a copyright lawsuit. It's a wild ride of corporate intrigue and potential mech-dragon what-ifs.
Right, so picture this: Tencent, the mega-corp behind, well, everything, apparently once pitched Sony on a Horizon spin-off. I know, right? It's like finding out your grandma used to be a secret agent. According to reports, back in March 2024, Tencent's Aurora studio wanted to take Aloy to Asia in a mobile game-as-a-service (GaaS) adventure. Think Great Wall backdrops, new tribes inspired by ethnic minorities, and mechanimals based on Eastern mythology—a dragon-mech, for crying out loud! (Source: Game Rant)
They even flashed screenshots of the team supposedly glued to Horizon games, like some sort of gaming love letter. Sony, however, wasn't feeling the romance and politely declined in April 2024. Fast forward a few months, and bam! Tencent announces 'Light of Motiram,' a futuristic survival game with suspiciously Horizon-esque robotic creatures (“Mechanimals,” they call ‘em) and a red-haired, bow-wielding heroine. Sound familiar?
Now, Sony’s lawyers are sharpening their pencils, alleging that 'Light of Motiram' is a “slavish clone” of Horizon, seeking up to $150,000 in damages per infringement. Ouch. The core of the lawsuit? 'Light of Motiram' ditched the Eastern themes from the original pitch and allegedly just ripped off the look of the existing Horizon games, which have sold over 32 million copies worldwide since 2017.
So, what does this all mean? Well, it's a cautionary tale about pitching ideas and perhaps, a lesson in not biting the hand that feeds…or, in this case, rejects your pitch. Will Sony succeed in blocking 'Light of Motiram'? Will we ever get that dragon-mech? Stay tuned, mates, because this legal drama is just getting started. It does make you wonder though, if Tencent had just stuck to their original Eastern-themed concept, would things be different? Food for thought, eh?
Tags: Horizon Zero Dawn, Tencent, Sony, Copyright Infringement, Gaming Lawsuit
Original article: Game Rant