In a bold counter to Sony’s intellectual property lawsuit, Tencent has filed a motion to dismiss, accusing the Japanese gaming giant of attempting to monopolize common genre tropes in video games. The dispute centers on Tencent’s upcoming action-adventure title, Light of Motiram, which Sony alleges is a “slavish clone” of its blockbuster Horizon Zero Dawn franchise. This legal battle highlights growing tensions over originality and shared elements in the gaming industry, with Tencent arguing that Sony’s claims ignore longstanding conventions.
The origins of the conflict trace back to July 2024, when Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a complaint in a California federal court against several Tencent entities, including Tencent America, Proxima Beta U.S., and parent company Tencent Holdings Ltd. Sony contended that Light of Motiram, developed by Polaris Quest/Aurora Studios, infringes on its copyrights and trademarks through similarities such as a red-haired female protagonist, a post-apocalyptic world overrun by robotic creatures, and tribal human societies combating mechanical foes. Sony described these elements as uniquely derived from Horizon Zero Dawn, released in 2017 by Guerrilla Games, and its sequels, emphasizing the game’s groundbreaking world-building.
Tencent’s response, detailed in a court filing reported by outlets like The GamePost, sharply rebuts Sony’s narrative. The company asserts that the lawsuit targets “ubiquitous genre ingredients” rather than genuine plagiarism, aiming to “fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture” for Sony’s exclusive use. Tencent labels Sony’s portrayal of Horizon Zero Dawn as “like no fictional world created before [or] since” as “startling” and self-contradictory. To support this, Tencent references a behind-the-scenes documentary where Guerrilla Games art director Jan-Bart van der Beek acknowledged influences from the 2013 title Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, which features a post-apocalyptic setting with advanced machines and human survivors.
Further bolstering its defense, Tencent lists numerous games that employ similar tropes, predating and postdating Horizon Zero Dawn. These include Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Ubisoft’s Far Cry: Primal (2016) and Far Cry: New Dawn (2019), as well as Outer Wilds (2019) and Biomutant (2021). “By suing over an unreleased project that merely employs the same time-honoured tropes embraced by scores of other games,” Tencent argues, “Sony seeks an impermissible monopoly on genre conventions.” The company emphasizes that no specific copyrighted assets, such as character designs or storylines, are being copied—only broad, industry-standard elements.
Adding procedural layers to its motion, Tencent challenges the validity of Sony’s defendants. It clarifies that Light of Motiram is being developed and published by entities under Tencent Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. and Singapore-based Proxima Beta PTE Ltd., operating as Tencent Games or Level Infinite. None of the U.S.-based defendants named in the suit—Tencent America, Proxima Beta U.S., or Tencent Holdings—have direct involvement in the game’s creation or marketing. Tencent Holdings is described merely as a holding company with no operational role. “Sony’s threadbare, conclusory allegations improperly lump these Defendants together with the foreign companies alleged to be responsible for the core conduct at issue,” the filing states, urging dismissal on these grounds alone.
The dispute also touches on a prior business interaction. In March 2024, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), Tencent representatives pitched a licensed mobile version of Horizon, which Sony declined. Tencent notes that no executives from the sued entities attended, and no infringement occurred during the meeting. This detail underscores Tencent’s position that Sony’s suit stems from rejected collaboration rather than legitimate IP theft.
With Light of Motiram‘s Steam page launched earlier in 2024 to build anticipation, the game is slated for release no earlier than the end of 2027. Tencent highlights this timeline, suggesting Sony’s claims are speculative, based on trailers and promotional materials rather than a finished product. Notably, following the lawsuit’s filing, the Steam page underwent subtle changes: key artwork was removed, edited, or replaced, and the description was rewritten. While Tencent has not commented on these alterations, they have fueled speculation about preemptive adjustments amid the legal scrutiny.
This case arrives amid a surge in IP disputes in gaming, as major publishers like Sony, with its vast portfolio including PlayStation exclusives, increasingly protect franchises that have generated billions—Horizon Zero Dawn alone has sold over 24 million copies. Tencent, a global powerhouse with investments in countless studios, views the suit as an overreach that could stifle creativity. Legal experts anticipate the motion to dismiss will be heard soon, potentially narrowing or expanding the case’s scope. As the gaming industry evolves, battles like this one raise broader questions about where inspiration ends and infringement begins in an era of interconnected narratives and visuals.
