Sony sues Tencent over alleged copycat of Horizon game series

• Sony sues Tencent over alleged Horizon copycat game, Light of Motiram.
• Sony calls Tencent’s upcoming title a “slavish clone” of its Horizon series.
• Lawsuit follows Sony’s rejection of a collaboration offer from Tencent last year.

Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent in a California federal court over allegedly copying its popular Horizon video game series.

As reported by Reuters, Sony claims Tencent's upcoming game Light of Motiram is a "slavish clone" of its Horizon series, copying key elements and potentially misleading consumers.

In its lawsuit filed on Friday, Sony stated that it rejected a proposal from Tencent to collaborate on a new Horizon game last year. Soon after, Tencent announced Light of Motiram, which Sony claims copies Horizon’s gameplay, themes, and artistic elements.

Sony is seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Tencent from infringing on its intellectual property rights.

Broader implications 

Sony launched the Horizon series in 2017 with Horizon: Zero Dawn on PlayStation 4. The games feature protagonist Aloy, a red-headed heroine exploring a post-apocalyptic world of tribes and robotic creatures.

The PlayStation company further noted that video game journalists have described Light of Motiram as a "knock-off" of Horizon, with one even calling it Horizon Zero Originality.

We’ve seen other legal cases, such as The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair though this was centered on alleged patent infringement rather than copyright.

Despite contesting the lawsuit and continuing to dispute certain claims, the game has undergone changes to avoid ongoing litigation