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Tencent Moves to Dismiss Sony’s Horizon Cloning Lawsuit, Citing Genre Tropes and Wrong Defendants

Tencent argues Sony sued the wrong parties, with claims based on a game not due until 2027.

Overview

  • Sony sued in July alleging Tencent’s Light of Motiram unlawfully copies the Horizon franchise’s look, characters, and world.
  • Tencent’s September 17 filing in the Northern District of California calls the case speculative because the game is unreleased and the alleged infringements may never occur.
  • The motion says Sony is trying to turn common genre elements into proprietary assets, quoting a Horizon developer’s past acknowledgement of similarities to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
  • Tencent contends none of the served entities develop or market Light of Motiram, identifying Polaris Quest/Aurora Studios and Proxima Beta PTE Ltd. as the relevant affiliates.
  • Public materials for Light of Motiram were altered after the suit, its Steam page now shows less Horizon-like imagery, and the release window has shifted to 2027.