The long-running dispute between Sony Interactive Entertainment and Tencent over the game Light of Motiram has officially come to an end. On December 18, 2025, both companies reached a confidential settlement, which led to the game’s removal from major digital storefronts. The legal case has now been permanently closed.
The issue began quietly in 2023 when Tencent reportedly started working on a new project. In early 2024, during the Game Developers Conference, Tencent approached Sony with a formal proposal to develop a Horizon-based mobile game together. Sony rejected the pitch. Despite this, Tencent is alleged to have continued development using ideas and assets from that proposal. They later rebranded the project as Light of Motiram.
The issue became public in November 2024 when Tencent released the first trailer for Light of Motiram. The reaction was immediate and intense. Fans and media outlets criticised the game, calling it a clear copy of Sony’s Horizon series. Many pointed out strong similarities, including the post-apocalyptic setting, robotic animal-like creatures, tribal human groups, and a red-haired female protagonist who closely resembled Aloy from Horizon.
In July 2025, Sony took formal legal action and filed a lawsuit against Tencent in a California federal court. Sony accused Tencent of copyright and trademark infringement and described the game as a “slavish clone.” The lawsuit also claimed that Tencent had hired a composer who previously worked on Horizon Forbidden West to recreate the series’ distinct musical style.
Tencent denied the accusations and defended its game by saying Sony was trying to control common genre ideas. The company argued that elements like robot creatures and post-apocalyptic worlds were not unique and could be found in several other popular games.
After the lawsuit, Tencent began making visible changes. In August 2025, it started removing or altering images and descriptions from the game’s Steam page that appeared too similar to Horizon. The company also delayed the game’s release to late 2027 and stopped all public testing and promotion as the case moved closer to a court hearing scheduled for January 2026.
Before the case could reach that stage, both sides reached a settlement. On December 18, 2025, Sony and Tencent confirmed a confidential resolution. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be reopened in the future. Shortly after the announcement, Light of Motiram was removed from Steam and the Epic Games Store.
