Sony and Tencent Settle 'Horizon' "Clone" Lawsuit as Game Vanishes
A confidential deal ends the ‘Light of Motiram’ dispute, with the survival title scrubbed from major PC storefronts overnight.
Summary
- Sony Interactive Entertainment and Tencent have settled their legal dispute over the game Light of Motiram with a confidential agreement, ending Sony’s claims that the title was a “slavish clone” of the Horizon franchise
- Following the settlement, Light of Motiram has been removed from Steam and the Epic Games Store, and its social media channels have gone dormant, suggesting the project is either canceled or undergoing a major reboot
Sony Interactive Entertainment and Tencent have quietly closed their high‑profile legal clash over open‑world survival title Light of Motiram, signing a confidential settlement that ends the case with prejudice and locks it out of court for good.
Filed back in July 2025, Sony’s complaint painted Light of Motiram as a “slavish clone” of Guerrilla’s Horizon franchise, from its post‑apocalyptic world and red‑haired huntress to machine “Mechanimals,” HUD styling, and even marketing beats that allegedly echoed Aloy’s image and tone. As lawyers traded filings, Tencent’s Polaris Quest team tried to soften the similarities, quietly swapping out key Steam and Epic Games Store assets and editing copy that leaned into primal tribal vibes, before ultimately pausing tests and public promotion in early December.
Once the settlement hit the docket, the impact was instant on the consumer side: Light of Motiram’s pages vanished from Steam and the Epic Games Store, while its official site, social channels, and Discord linger on as ghost infrastructure for a project that now looks effectively dead or destined for a deep reboot.
In a rare on‑record comment about a confidential deal, Tencent Americas comms boss Sean Durkin said the two giants are “pleased to have reached a confidential resolution” and “look forward to working together in the future”.
The saga doubles as a warning shot for anyone trying to ride too close to a platform holder’s crown‑jewel IP: Sony is actively expanding Horizon into MMOs, co‑op spin‑offs, and even film, and this outcome reinforces how aggressively it will police anything that blurs the line between homage and confusion.
