Sony versus Tencent: The Horizon Clone Battle Ends
The copyright fight between Sony and Tencent over the survival game Light of Motiram has quietly come to an end. After months of legal sparring, the two giants have reached a confidential settlement, closing the case for good and leaving PC gamers wondering what this means for the game and for lookalike titles in general.
The dispute centered on Light of Motiram, a big budget survival crafting game from Tencent that looked strikingly similar to Sony’s Horizon series, especially Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. From creature designs to the overall aesthetic, many players and critics quickly pointed out how closely it seemed to follow Sony’s hit franchise.
When Light of Motiram was revealed in 2024, the comparisons started immediately. It was pitched as a large scale survival game with a futuristic world, mysterious machines, and a familiar heroine in a lush post apocalyptic setting. The overlap with Horizon was hard to ignore and it did not take long for Sony to take legal action.
How The Dispute Escalated
Sony officially filed its lawsuit against Tencent in July 2025, accusing Light of Motiram of copying or deriving material from the Horizon games. In other words, Sony argued that Tencent had gone beyond inspiration and into outright imitation of distinctive elements from the series.
Tencent pushed back in public statements. It claimed that Sony was trying to carve out exclusive ownership of a popular sci fi and post apocalyptic style that many games use. Tencent argued that Sony did not own the general idea of tribal aesthetics, robotic creatures, or survival in a ruined world and called the lawsuit an attempt to fence off a well trodden corner of popular culture.
Still, Tencent reacted quickly behind the scenes. The company quietly updated the Light of Motiram pages on Steam and the Epic Games Store, stripping out some of the most obviously Horizon like imagery and references. It also bumped the release window back to late 2027, signaling that bigger changes could be happening internally to reduce the legal risk.
As the case continued, Sony asked the court for an injunction to block Tencent from using any material that was copied or derived from Horizon. That would have put serious pressure on Light of Motiram’s design and marketing if granted. Instead of racing headlong into a court showdown, lawyers for both sides agreed to extend filing deadlines, which often signals that a settlement is being negotiated.
The Confidential Settlement And What It Means For Gamers
The latest court filing confirms that Sony and Tencent have settled the case. The key points are simple but important for the future of Light of Motiram and for gamers watching from the sidelines.
- The case has been dismissed with prejudice, which means it is permanently closed and cannot be brought back later.
- The settlement terms are confidential, so we do not know if money changed hands or what specific conditions were agreed.
- Both Sony and Tencent will pay their own legal fees rather than one side covering the other.
In a joint statement, the companies said they are pleased to have reached a confidential resolution and that they will have no further public comment. Interestingly, they also said they look forward to working together in the future, which hints that the relationship between the two is still business friendly despite the clash.
For players looking for Light of Motiram on PC storefronts, the immediate impact is clear. The store pages for the game on both Steam and the Epic Games Store have been removed. You can still see traces of the project on tracking sites like SteamDB, but you can no longer wishlist or follow the game through the main stores.
However, the project is not completely gone. The official Light of Motiram website is still live, and its YouTube, Twitch, and social channels are also still up. That suggests Tencent has not fully abandoned the game. Instead, it is very possible that Light of Motiram will be reworked and eventually return in a form that is less obviously tied to Horizon’s visual and thematic style.
For PC gamers, this situation highlights a few important trends.
- Big publishers are increasingly willing to defend their signature visual styles and world designs in court, not just trademarks and logos.
- Studios creating games in popular genres need to be more careful about how closely they mirror major franchises.
- Settlements like this can reshape a game’s direction long before release, delaying launch windows and forcing significant redesigns.
It is also a reminder that ambitious survival and open world projects live in a crowded space. With so many titles drawing on post apocalyptic and sci fi themes, there is a fine line between familiar inspiration and legal risk. Horizon carved out a distinctive brand with its mix of tribal culture, mechanical wildlife, and sweeping landscapes, and Sony clearly intends to protect that identity.
Whether Light of Motiram eventually emerges as a more distinct and original survival game remains to be seen. The removal from major PC storefronts suggests a serious rethink, but the active web presence hints that Tencent is not ready to bury the project. If it does come back, it will likely look and feel different from the early trailers that drew such strong comparisons to Horizon.
Until then, PC players interested in big open world adventures and survival experiences have no shortage of options. From the best co op titles to long running RPGs and FPS games, the landscape keeps growing. This settlement will probably not change your current library, but it might quietly influence how future games are pitched, promoted, and designed, especially when they stand in the shadow of a major franchise like Horizon.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/horizon-like-survival-game-light-of-motiram-disappears-from-steam-and-epic-after-tencent-reaches-a-confidential-settlement-with-sony/
