Sony’s Horizon lawsuit pushes Tencent to rebrand Light of Motiram and delay launch

From “slavish clone” claim to quiet Steam makeover

Sony Interactive dragged Tencent into California court in late July, calling the publisher’s upcoming Light of Motiram a “slavish clone” of the Horizon series and demanding damages plus an injunction (Reuters). Two weeks later the accused title barely resembles its first trailer: Aloy look-alike artwork is gone, robot-deer promo shots have vanished, and the store blurb now leans on base-building and co-op instead of robo-safari heroics (IGN).

What Sony wants, what Tencent changed

• The complaint: Sony says Motiram lifts protagonist design, mechanical fauna, HUD icons, and even Horizon’s focus-scanner gimmick. The suit seeks up to $150K per infringed work and a full marketing takedown.
• Steam scrub-down: Tencent removed the original teaser, swapped key art to feature neon mech-monsters, and rewrote the description to ditch Horizon-specific language.
• Release window shift: Internal sources cited by GamesIndustry report a slip from late 2025 to Q4 2027 while the team “retools core assets.”
• No public statements: Both companies keep radio silence; court filings hint at failed licensing talks dating back to GDC 2024.

Why this matters for open-world fans

For players, the spat decides whether Light of Motiram lands as a fresh sci-fi survival sandbox or evaporates under injunction. If Tencent’s asset purge sticks, expect major art redesigns and maybe new mechanics to dodge overlap with Horizon’s robo-ecosystem. For Sony, protecting one of its flagship IPs just months after Horizon Forbidden West – Complete Edition hit PC keeps the brand distinct as it courts a broader platform audience.

What to watch next

Court hearings start in October; preliminary injunctions could freeze Motiram’s marketing entirely. Meanwhile the dev team’s roadmap now reads like a salvage mission—new protagonist silhouette, less tribal tech chic, and a heavier push on four-player co-op. Keep an eye on the updated Steam hub and, if you need a quick refresher on official Horizon content or mod tools, hit the game page on Megagames.