Sony Escalates Legal Battle: Preliminary Injunction Sought Against Tencent’s Alleged ‘Horizon’ Knockoff, ‘Light of Motiram’

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has dramatically intensified its copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit against Chinese technology giant Tencent, lodging a powerful motion for a preliminary injunction against the upcoming survival game, ‘Light of Motiram.’ The legal maneuver seeks to immediately halt all promotional activities, bar the use of key alleged infringing elements, and underscores Sony’s unwavering position that Tencent’s title is a “slavish clone” of its highly valuable Horizon franchise, specifically ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ and ‘Horizon Forbidden West.’

This aggressive legal action, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, comes as a direct response to Tencent’s earlier motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Sony, the owner of one of the most popular gaming IPs, is not simply seeking damages but is demanding immediate relief to protect the integrity of its PlayStation flagship property, which is a major revenue driver and a cornerstone of its current and future gaming strategy.

The core of Sony’s legal argument rests on preventing what it terms “irreparable harm” to the Guerrilla Games-developed franchise. The injunction request targets several specific elements of ‘Light of Motiram’ that Sony argues are virtually indistinguishable from ‘Horizon’:

• A prominent “fierce tribal warrior huntress characterized by fiery red hair” that closely mirrors the protagonist, Aloy, which Sony argues infringes upon its ‘ALOY Character Mark.’
• Visuals and artwork depicting a post-apocalyptic world where tribal, low-tech human communities coexist with gigantic, sophisticated robot animals.
• Specific storyline and thematic elements, including a melody in the promotional trailer alleged to be strikingly similar to musical compositions from the ‘Horizon Zero Dawn Original Soundtrack.’

The pursuit of an injunction reveals Sony’s strategy to shut down the alleged infringement before ‘Light of Motiram’—initially slated for a late 2025 release but subsequently delayed to late 2027 following the initial lawsuit—can enter the market and cause widespread consumer confusion.

“The Damage Is Done”: Sony Slams Tencent’s Defence as “Nonsense”

In its recent court filings, Sony has fiercely rejected Tencent’s attempt to have the case dismissed, labeling the Chinese conglomerate’s defense as “nonsense.” Tencent had previously argued that ‘Light of Motiram’ merely utilizes “well-trodden” tropes common in the open-world survival and adventure genres, such as a tribal aesthetic or the use of robotic creatures, and that Sony is attempting to gain an “impermissible monopoly on genre conventions.”

Sony’s retort is uncompromising. The company argues that the copying was so “egregious” that journalists and the global gamer community loudly and widely condemned ‘Light of Motiram’ as a major Horizon rip-off immediately upon its initial announcement. Sony contends that this immediate public outcry proves “the damage is done—and it continues.”

Strong legal arguments brought forth by Sony include:

1. Actual Consumer Confusion: Sony cites numerous public comments and media reports that explicitly describe ‘Light of Motiram’ as a clone, copycat, or knock-off, thus providing evidence of actual confusion regarding the origin and endorsement of the game.
2. Tencent’s ‘Shell Game’ Allegation: Sony accuses Tencent of “playing a shell game” by using multiple subsidiaries—including Aurora Studios, Level Infinite, and Polaris Quest—to obscure liability and shield itself from accountability, making the corporate structure a central point of the ongoing litigation.
3. Refusal of License: The filing also reiterates Sony’s claim that Tencent had previously approached SIE in March 2024 seeking a license to develop a ‘Horizon’ game, and only proceeded with ‘Light of Motiram’ after Sony declined the proposition—a detail that, if proven, could significantly bolster the case for willful infringement.

The injunction, if granted by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, would be a major victory for intellectual property rights protection in the volatile video game industry. It would force Tencent to immediately cease using the controversial marketing materials, redesign the game’s protagonist, and potentially halt development on any infringing elements until the full lawsuit is resolved—a process that could take years.

The Business and Industry Stakes: High-CPC Keywords in the Spotlight

Beyond the courtroom drama, this dispute highlights critical commercial issues for major publishers in the competitive global gaming market. The ‘Horizon’ franchise represents a premium, ‘AAA’ gaming experience and a substantial investment in Intellectual Property (IP). Sony is seeking to protect not just the game’s code and visual assets, but the distinct “look and feel” that drives billions in digital sales and hardware demand.

Keywords central to this narrative are inherently valuable in the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Cost Per Click (CPC) space:

• Copyright Infringement Lawsuit: A high-interest legal topic drawing a massive global audience.
• Video Game IP Protection: A critical keyword for industry stakeholders and legal professionals.
• Tencent Games vs Sony PlayStation: A head-to-head clash of two industry behemoths, attracting substantial search traffic and advertising dollars.
• Horizon Zero Dawn Clone: The specific accusation driving massive organic and paid search volume.
• Preliminary Injunction: A legal term with a very high CPC due to its significance to corporate legal battles.

For game developers, the outcome of this case will set a significant precedent regarding the protection of character design, unique world elements, and overall aesthetic—a major concern for any studio creating new and original next-generation console games. The public and financial stakes are immense, as the gaming world awaits the judge’s decision on this pivotal preliminary injunction request.

Sony is pressing for the injunction hearing to take place before the end of 2025, but the complex nature of the claims and the court’s schedule make any timeline difficult to predict. Nevertheless, this development marks a defining chapter in a high-profile legal showdown that has captured the attention of the entire esports and gaming industry, solidifying the importance of intellectual property rights in the modern era of open-world survival games.