Tencent, the colossal force in the gaming world, has stirred up quite the buzz with their latest announcement, Light of Motiram for PC. It’s hard to miss the uncanny resemblance to Sony’s acclaimed Horizon series, crafted by Guerrilla Games. The similarities aren’t just skin-deep; Light of Motiram could easily be mistaken for a relative to Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.
Now, the burning question is whether Sony will slam Tencent with a lawsuit over this imitation. Developed by Polaris Quest, a subsidiary of Tencent, Light of Motiram invites players into a “mechanimal-ruled open world,” urging them to navigate and survive a land dominated by gigantic machines that emerged after society’s downfall.
Ever since its trailer was made public, gamers have drawn parallels between Light of Motiram and the Palworld/Pokemon debacle. Back then, Palworld, which drew heavily from Pokemon, got into hot water with legal troubles when Nintendo decided to go after its developer, Pocketpair, over patent issues.
Many in the gaming community argue Sony should confront Tencent for such a bold mimicry of the Horizon series. Conversely, some think a lawsuit could be excessive. Efforts by several media outlets to get comments from Sony and Tencent have so far hit a wall, with both parties remaining silent. Nonetheless, the general expectation is that Sony might not sit idly by, as ignoring this could set a dangerous precedent for their other well-loved franchises to be replicated.
