PlayStation is widely known for creating some of gaming’s most celebrated franchises, such asGod of War,Ratchet and Clank,Uncharted,The Last of Us, and the relatively recentHorizonseries. These exclusive titles contribute to high console sales and continued interest in the PlayStation brand, so Sony Interactive Entertainment is highly defensive of its many successful game franchises. That is best exemplified in Sony’s recent lawsuit against Tencent Games and Polaris Quest’sLight of Motiramfor allegedly ripping off Guerrilla Games’Horizonseries. However, Sony may not stop at suing Tencent for ripping offHorizonbut instead continue to sue other companies for allegedly making games copying Sony’s exclusive titles.
Horizon Vs. Light of Motiram
When theHorizonfranchise first began with2017’sHorizon Zero Dawn, the game was an instant success, selling 2.6 million copies within its first two weeks and gaining overwhelmingly favorable reviews. Critics praised Aloy’s character andHorizon’s world design filled with awe-inspiring animalistic machines. This financial and critical success instantly caused Sony and Guerrilla Games to begin working on a direct sequel and spin-offs, which eventually saw similar financial and critical acclaim.
By Spring 2023,Horizon Zero Dawn,Horizon Forbidden West, andHorizon Call of the Mountainhad sold over 32.7 million combined copies worldwide across PS4, PS5, and PC platforms. This continued success led to Guerrilla expanding theHorizonfranchise further withHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered,LEGO Horizon Adventures, and an upcomingHorizonmultiplayer title.Horizonhas quickly become a global phenomenon in its eight years of existence, even venturing beyond video games into tabletop games, comics, and an upcomingZero Dawnfilm adaptation from Columbia Pictures. This fame inevitably saw other companies attempting to profit fromHorizon’s appeal, resulting in the announcement ofTencent’sLight of Motiramin late 2024.
Set in a post-apocalyptic tribal world overrun by colossal machines,Light of Motiramis a third-person, open-world game wherein players can tame and control animalistic machines called Mechanimals. However, players can take part inLight of Motiramin either single-player or in co-op and participate in PvP modes, whileLEGO Horizon Adventuresis the only multiplayer-capableHorizongamereleased so far.
Sony’s Lawsuit Against Tencent’s Light of Motiram
If that description ofLight of Motiramsounds familiar toHorizon, Sony executives thought so too, callingLight ofMotirama “slavish clone” ofHorizon. Sony officially sued Tencent for copyright and trademark infringement in California federal court for ripping off theHorizonIP. Sony claims thatMotiramfeatures identical gameplay, story themes, and artistic elements toHorizon, which is fairly obvious to see throughMotiram’s marketing, character and machine design, and even music. Tencent reportedly contacted Sony to offer their services to work on a newHorizongame in early 2024, but Sony declined the offer. Sony is seeking monetary damages and an order blocking Tencent from violating its intellectual property rights.
Sony’s Potential Future Lawsuits
Sony’s lawsuit against Tencent is currently ongoing, though it’s likely Sony will win the suit as thesimilarities betweenHorizonandLight of Motiramare undeniable. Even some ofMotiram’s promotional art appears to be blatant copies ofHorizon Zero Dawn’s promotional and concept art: both depict a tribal woman looking over a landscape with towering animalistic machines. It’s unknown when this lawsuit will be resolved or if it will result in Tencent taking down and delistingLight of Motiramfrom storefronts but, if Sony wins the suit, Sony could begin suing other game developers and companies for allegedly infringing on their other IP.
BesidesLight of Motiramclearly copyingHorizon’s world design, other game developers and companies have attempted to profit from PlayStation’s hits in rather easily identifiable ways. For example, VG Games previously released the 2023 survival gameThe Last Hope: Dead Zone Survivalfor the Nintendo Switch. Immediately followingThe Last Hope’s announcement, players pointed out near-identical traits between it and Sony’sThe Last of Usfranchise.The Last Hopewas delisted shortly after its release following Sony filing copyright claims. Sony may also take umbrage with Zego Studio for copyingMarvel’s Spider-Mananimations and gameplay in its mobileSpider Fighting: Hero Game. Sony could also sue Zacharias for copying 2018’sGod of Warcharacter design and gameplay in its mobile gameThe Slayer Rpg APK.
