Key Takeaways
- Sony has asked the court to deny Tencent’s motion to dismiss the Light of Motiram lawsuit.
- Sony argues that damage is ongoing due to globally released promotional materials.
- The dispute began in July 2025, when Sony accused Tencent of copyright infringement.
- Tencent claims Light of Motiram draws from multiple genres, not Horizon.
- Sony accuses Tencent of “playing a shell game” with subsidiaries like Level Infinite and Aurora Studios.
Sony Pushes Back Against Tencent in Legal Battle
In the latest turn of the ongoing legal clash between Sony and Tencent, Sony has filed a request urging the court to reject Tencent’s motion to dismiss its Light of Motiram lawsuit. The filing, first reported by The Game Post, asserts that Tencent’s actions have already caused “irreversible and ongoing damage,” citing the global spread of Light of Motiram’s promotional materials as proof.
The lawsuit, filed in July 2025, accuses Tencent of creating a “slavish clone” of Sony’s acclaimed Horizon franchise. Sony claims that Light of Motiram borrows heavily from Horizon’s gameplay, design, and thematic elements, amounting to clear copyright infringement.
Accusations of a “Shell Game”
Sony’s latest court filing goes further, accusing Tencent of “playing a shell game” with its various publishing and development subsidiaries. The document specifically names Level Infinite, Aurora Studios, and Proxima Beta, alleging that Tencent has used these entities to obscure which studio is truly responsible for Light of Motiram.
According to Sony, this corporate structure has created confusion among consumers and regulators, complicating accountability for the alleged infringement.
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Tencent’s Response: Inspiration, Not Imitation
Tencent, for its part, maintains that Sony’s lawsuit is “premature”, noting that Light of Motiram has not yet been released — its launch was delayed to Q4 2027. The company argues that no infringement could have occurred prior to release, and has described Sony’s claims as an attempt to secure an “impermissible monopoly on genre conventions.”
Tencent insists that Light of Motiram draws inspiration from a variety of open-world titles, including The Legend of Zelda and Far Cry, rather than directly copying Horizon.
A High-Stakes Copyright Standoff
As the case progresses, the Light of Motiram dispute underscores growing tensions between global gaming giants over intellectual property rights and creative boundaries. With both Sony and Tencent holding major influence in the industry, the outcome could set a precedent for how closely new titles can mirror established franchises — and how far inspiration can go before it becomes imitation.
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