Sony Escalates Legal Battle: Seeks Injunction Against Tencent’s ‘Slavish Clone’ of Horizon IP  

In a significant development for the “AAA gaming” industry and intellectual property (IP) law, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against Chinese technology and gaming behemoth Tencent. The action is the latest move in an escalating legal dispute where Sony accuses Tencent’s upcoming “open-world survival game,” “Light of Motiram,” of being a “slavish clone” of its highly successful “Horizon Zero Dawn” and “Horizon Forbidden West” franchise.

The core of Sony’s recent filing, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, is an attempt to immediately halt the promotion and development of elements within “Light of Motiram” that allegedly infringe upon the distinct copyrighted and trademarked components of the “Horizon” series. This legal maneuver underscores the immense “value of intellectual property” in the competitive “global video game market.”

The Allegations: A Knockoff Jeopardizing Franchise Value

Sony first initiated its “copyright infringement lawsuit” against Tencent in July 2025, mere months after the reveal of “Light of Motiram” in late 2024 sparked widespread commentary across “gaming news outlets” and social media regarding its “striking similarities” to the “Horizon” games. Specifically, Sony targets several key, highly recognizable elements:

• The Protagonist: The game’s lead character, a “fierce tribal warrior huntress characterized by fiery red hair,” is argued to be a confusingly similar “Aloy lookalike,” thereby “diluting the brand” of the “ALOY Character Mark.”
• Aesthetic and Setting: The post-apocalyptic world featuring tribal elements and colossal, animalistic “robot dinosaurs” – a unique blend that Sony asserts is a protected combination of creative expressions.
• Musical Scores: Sony’s motion also targets a melody in “Light of Motiram” promotional material, alleging it is too similar to the original “Horizon Zero Dawn” soundtrack.

Sony argues that Tencent’s actions “jeopardize Horizon’s continued success, including current expansion plans for the franchise.” The “irreparable harm” is not only financial but also in the “loss of control” over their “premium console IP” and the resulting “consumer confusion.”

Tencent’s Defense and Sony’s Counter-Attack

Tencent’s initial response to Sony’s lawsuit included a “motion to dismiss,” which branded Sony’s claims as “nonsense” and an attempt to “fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture.” Tencent maintained that “Light of Motiram” merely utilizes “time-honored tropes” common in the “fantasy adventure game” genre, citing other titles like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” as having similar open-world and tribal themes.

However, Sony dismissed this defense as “meritless,” pointing to the public and media outcry – with one journalist notably dubbing the rival game “Horizon Zero Originality.” Furthermore, Sony revealed a critical detail in the legal proceedings: Tencent had previously approached SIE in 2024 to license the “Horizon” IP for a new game, an offer Sony had declined. Sony claims that despite this rejection, “Tencent went ahead with its plan to use the Horizon intellectual property.”

Adding to the intrigue, Tencent quietly updated “Light of Motiram’s” Steam page following the initial lawsuit, removing numerous controversial screenshots and “Aloy-like character models” and delaying the game’s scheduled release from late 2025 to late 2027. Sony has seized upon this move, asserting that this “shell game” – which also involves the alleged deliberate obfuscation of which Tencent subsidiary is technically responsible – is an implicit admission of guilt and that “the damage is done – and it continues.”

Implications for the Future of Gaming IP

A hearing on Sony’s preliminary injunction request is tentatively scheduled for November 20, 2025. If the injunction is granted, it could force Tencent to cease all “Light of Motiram” promotional activities using the disputed elements, including the red-haired protagonist, and halt development of any alleged “copied IP” until the lawsuit is fully resolved. Such a ruling would send a powerful message regarding the protection of “unique video game concepts” and artistic design.

The case holds enormous “CPC value” for legal “precedent setting” in the “digital entertainment” sector, particularly as “open-world games” continue to borrow from shared genre conventions. The outcome will be closely watched by “game developers” and “intellectual property lawyers” worldwide, determining the legal boundaries between inspiration and “blatant copying” in the “high-stakes global gaming industry.” (Source: IGN, Games Fray, DualShockers, GamesIndustry.biz)