Sony sues Tencent over allegedly copying Horizon Zero Dawn

In a surprising move, Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent over alleged copyright and trademark infringement related to Horizon Zero Dawn. The lawsuit claims that Tencent’s upcoming title, Light of Motiram, developed by Polaris Quest, is nearly identical to Horizon Zero Dawn's gameplay, artistic style, and theme. The situation has surprised many, especially since Light of Motiram has yet to be released.

On that note, here’s everything you need to know about the lawsuit.

Sony vs Tencent: What is the Horizon Zero Dawn lawsuit about?

Sony officially filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on July 26, 2025. According to legal documents, Sony accuses Tencent’s upcoming open-world adventure title Light of Motiram of allegedly being a “slavish clone” of the Horizon franchise.

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The company claims the game copies key elements, including gameplay mechanics, artistic design, character themes, and worldbuilding.

The original Horizon Zero Dawn was released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4, followed by Horizon Forbidden West in 2022 for the same console and the PlayStation 5, featuring a similar art style.

The game franchise is known for its red-headed protagonist Aloy and a distinct post-apocalyptic world full of robotic animals and tribal societies. According to Sony, Light of Motiram mirrors the exact features.

Interestingly, Sony also revealed that Tencent had previously approached it to collaborate on a Horizon game, but the offer was declined. Later, the latter announced Light of Motiram, raising red flags.

This lawsuit allegedly aims to stop Tencent from releasing the game and seeks financial compensation, although no specific amount has been mentioned. Sony also wants the court to block Tencent from further use of the IP and completely prevent the title's distribution.

That's everything we know about the Horizon Zero Dawn and the Light of Motiram situation. Tencent is yet to issue an official statement. For more information, you can search for Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC v. Tencent Holdings Ltd, case number 3:25-cv-06275, in the public directory of the California court.

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About the author

Harshit Singh is a gaming journalist at Sportskeeda, with Fortnite, Counter-Strike 2, and Marvel Rivals being his areas of specialization. A final-year B.Des (Visual Communication) student at Delhi Technological University, he is always eager to pursue creative endeavors. Harshit aims to deliver news and up-to-date content promptly to players around the globe. To that end, he acquires information from reliable forums and social media pages and religiously tracks the latest coverage of Fortnite — a game he has been playing since 2018. He is often found testing the new meta in-game or spectating competitive tournaments.

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