Seven months in the past, Tencent, the world’s greatest gaming firmrevealed a brand new venture: Mild of Motirama futuristic open-world recreation from studio Polaris Quest the place machines rule the land. If that sounds acquainted, the precise trailer and its cybernetic animals solely additional implied a particular inspirational supply: Sony and Guerrilla Video games’ Horizon sequence. Now Sony is taking Tencent to courtroom over it.
Filed on July 25, the lawsuit intends to dam Tencent from releasing the sport, which it argues violates Sony Interactive Leisure’s mental property, whereas additionally in search of $150,000 in statutory damages for every separate work within the Horizon sequence infringed. In its lawsuit, Sony calls Mild of Motiram a “slavish clone” of Horizon that egregiously replicates among the signature components discovered within the PlayStation sequence.
Notably, Sony alleges that Tencent approached them in 2024, by means of its Aurora Studios, with a proposal to work on a cell Horizon spinoff recreation, however the Japanese firm declined. Tencent’s pitch, in keeping with the lawsuit, proposed including “Japanese aesthetics” and “survival and crafting, pet taming,” and multiplayer elements to the Horizon sequence. The pitch deck “included mock-ups of Japanese-inspired designs and settings, together with one in every of Aloy (…) standing on the Nice Wall of China,” the swimsuit alleges.
The unique trailer for Motiram options machines decked in white and blue, very like the enemies do in Horizon, alongside aboriginal-like apparel with a tech bent. The protagonists differ in that Aloy, star of Horizon, has lengthy pink hair, whereas the principle character in Mild of Motiram is a raven-haired girl with a shorter haircut. However the costumes share some similarities, just like the predominance of brown leather-based. Motiram’s protagonist may also put on a helmet that makes her look much more like Aloy, and Tencent is utilizing that mixture in its advertising supplies. Within the lawsuit, Sony requests that Tencent hand over all such advertising supplies in order that it might destroy them.
Based mostly on the trailer, Horizon’s not the one debatable affect on Mild of Motiram; at one level we see the participant character land on a seaside in a glider very like the one in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There’s additionally a car that’s paying homage to Future 2’s sparrow bikes. And to be truthful to Tencent, there are some differentiating concepts right here, like co-op, base-building, and a give attention to crafting. There’s the compulsory chopping a tree footage you see in most trendy survival video games.
However the affinity with Horizon is tough to disregard, as evidenced by fan remarks left on Mild of Motiram’s trailer. “Once you lend your work to your college good friend and inform him to repeat it however change some issues,” jokes the highest touch upon the YouTube trailer.
Sony faucets into this public sentiment all through the lawsuit, the place it cites information articles and feedback that decision out the similarities as “shameless” and bash Tencent’s recreation as “Horizon Zero Originality.”
Polygon contacted Sony Interactive Leisure for touch upon the swimsuit and can replace when the corporate responds. As of this writing, Mild of Motiram nonetheless has pages on Steam and the Epic Video games Retailer with the power to wishlist the sport.
