Sony Escalates War on Alleged ‘Horizon’ Knockoff, Demands Immediate Injunction Against Tencent’s Light of Motiram

The high-stakes legal battle between gaming titans Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and Tencent has reached a critical juncture. In the latest development in the ongoing copyright and trademark infringement case, Sony has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against Tencent, aiming to halt the Chinese conglomerate’s pre-release promotion and development of its upcoming open-world survival game, Light of Motiram. Sony alleges the title is a “slavish clone” of its highly successful Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West franchises, posing a direct threat to the PlayStation brand’s intellectual property and its continued commercial success.

The Core of the Dispute: Allegations of Pervasive Copying and Bad Faith

The original lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in July 2025, accused Tencent’s Light of Motiram—developed by subsidiary Polaris Quest—of copying numerous distinctive elements of the Horizon series. These similarities allegedly include:

• A flame-haired tribal warrior huntress protagonist who bears a striking resemblance to Horizon’s iconic lead, Aloy.
• A post-apocalyptic world where tribal societies face off against biomechanical animal creatures (often referred to as ‘robot dinosaurs’ by the community).
• Shared artistic styles, storyline themes, and even a trailer melody alleged to be too similar to compositions from the Horizon Zero Dawn Official Soundtrack.

Sony’s latest filing for a preliminary injunction doubles down on these claims, specifically seeking to bar Tencent from using the Aloy-like character, certain visuals, and the contested music while the lawsuit is pending. Executives from Sony and Guerrilla Games, the studio behind Horizon, have filed sworn declarations emphasizing their deep concern that Light of Motiram has already caused and will continue to cause consumer confusion and irreparable harm to the Horizon franchise’s goodwill and expansion plans, including the highly anticipated Horizon Zero Dawn film adaptation which is now actively in development.

Tencent’s Defense: ‘Well-Trodden Tropes’ and Procedural Delays

Tencent has vigorously denied the allegations, filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in September 2025. The Chinese giant argued that Light of Motiram merely utilizes “well-trodden tropes” common across the open-world and survival-action RPG genres, claiming Sony is attempting to gain an “impermissible monopoly” over common genre elements. The defense also pointed to earlier internal concerns at Guerrilla Games that the original Horizon Zero Dawn shared similarities with other titles, such as Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.

Adding to the complexity, after Sony filed its lawsuit, Tencent quietly:

• Scrubbed several screenshots and the Aloy-like protagonist’s image from the Light of Motiram Steam page.
• Delayed the game’s release window from late 2025 to Q4 2027.

Tencent is leveraging this delay in its opposition to the preliminary injunction, arguing that a game so far from release cannot possibly pose the “immediate threatened injury” required for an injunction. However, Sony has dismissed this counter-argument as “nonsense,” asserting that “the damage is done – and it continues” through the confusion already generated by Tencent’s initial, aggressive marketing, which allegedly occurred after SIE had previously declined a pitch from Tencent for a Horizon collaborative project.

The Reviewer’s Perspective: IP Protection in a Global Gaming Market

This lawsuit highlights the escalating tensions surrounding Intellectual Property (IP) protection in the highly lucrative and globalized video game industry. With video game sales and in-game purchases generating billions, the line between inspiration and infringement is becoming a heavily litigated battleground. As industry analysts and gamers alike noted the “striking similarities” and dubbed Light of Motiram “Horizon Zero Originality,” the court must now determine where the balance lies between protecting creative work and allowing developers to utilize established genre conventions.

Our Verdict: While it is not unprecedented for games to share similar tropes—a female warrior, a post-apocalyptic setting—Sony’s documentation, including evidence of a rejected collaboration pitch and the quick removal of infringing promotional material by Tencent post-lawsuit, paints a compelling picture. The preliminary injunction, if granted, would be a major victory for Sony, effectively sidelining Tencent’s game until the full copyright and trademark infringement trial concludes. This case has far-reaching implications, setting a potential legal precedent for how major publishers protect their AAA game development investments against highly capitalized competitors seeking to enter the market quickly. For consumers, the ultimate fear is market dilution and a drop in game quality from copycat titles.

What Happens Next?

A hearing on Sony’s motion for the preliminary injunction is currently scheduled for November 20, 2025. A decision from the court could arrive shortly thereafter. If the injunction is granted, Tencent would be forced to halt all promotional activity, redesign the game’s protagonist, and potentially freeze development of elements deemed too similar to the Horizon franchise. Given the scale of both companies, this legal duel over Digital IP and Copyright Law is an expensive and closely watched affair that could redefine industry standards for years to come.