Our preview of Light of Motiram A legal storm is brewing. Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Tencent in the US federal court in California, alleging copyright and trademark infringement. The focus is on the striking similarity to... Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon forbidden westAccording to Sony, it is a "slavish clone" that not only copies technical and visual elements but also deliberately sows confusion.
The lawsuit was filed on July 25, 2025, and was first brought by Reuters The main accusation is that Tencent and Polaris Quest intentionally compromised the identity and brand image of [the company/organization]. Horizon-series, including a game character which, according to Sony, “an almost identical copy of Aloy" be.
License denied, now legal battle
According to Sony, Tencent had originally tried to obtain a license for the Horizonto acquire IP. Sony declined. Shortly thereafter, the development of Light of Motiram It has launched on Polaris Quest, a subsidiary of Tencent. For Sony, this is apparently no coincidence.
In its lawsuit, Sony is demanding not only an immediate ban on publication but also the destruction of all products and marketing materials that could infringe its trademark rights. Furthermore, it is seeking up to $150.000 in damages per affected work. This potentially affects [number of] Horizon Zero Dawn, Forbidden West, DLCs, artwork and accompanying material.
More than just a plagiarism accusation
Light of Motiram The game is still listed on Steam without a concrete release date, but is already on thousands of wishlists. It's being developed under the umbrella of one of the world's largest publishers, which holds stakes in dozens of studios worldwide. When such a giant ventures into questionable IP territory, it always sends a signal and could also unsettle smaller studios about what is and isn't permissible. The first screenshots, trailers, and character designs revealed visual parallels to Horizon, which a US court will now have to assess.
Whether Sony will be successful with its lawsuit remains to be seen. The court will decide where creative inspiration ends and deliberate imitation begins. What is clear, however, is that Light of Motiram always since the announcement The case is under observation, and it could set a precedent for IP protection in the industry. For gamers, the situation remains unclear, and a bad taste in their mouth the next time they click on their Steam wishlist is almost unavoidable.
It looks exactly the same.
Even Aloy is in the game.
A clear case of plagiarism.
Well, then Capcom can sue everyone else who, for example, has a Ryu rip-off in fighting games. Or the third-person perspective. Or judgment cuts in action where the hero uses a katana, and so on.
Sony is incredibly thin-skinned. How about simply showing the quality, for example by showing a trailer? But no, they're always just spouting nonsense in screenshots on the PS blog.
There's a difference between an entire game being copied and every beat 'em up featuring a Korean guy with a bandana.
Ryu is Japanese, apart from that, and that was just an example. Ken is Paul in the Tekken universe.
Heichachi is Akuma etc.
One could see this as an incentive (or recognition) to improve one's own product and let consumers decide which game will be better.
Capcom could sue Sony because Horizon is a Monster Hunter copy, even copying entire movesets... xD I thought that was extremely cheeky back then.