Tencent Accuses Sony of Trying to monopolize Popular Culture in ‘Light of Motiram’ Copyright Dispute
Tencent has responded to Sony’s lawsuit regarding its upcoming game, Light of Motiram, claiming the game is a “slave replica” of the Horizon series. Sony filed the lawsuit in California Federal Court in July, alleging that Light of Motiram is strikingly similar to Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, perhaps misleading players into believing it’s part of the same franchise.sony also claims Tencent approached them about a Horizon collaboration after development of Light of Motiram had already begun.
Tencent countered Sony’s claims as “amazing,” accusing the company of attempting to unfairly control well-known areas of popular culture. The company argues that the Horizon series itself wasn’t especially original, and Sony is attempting to monopolize commonly used genre elements.
according to reports, Tencent’s response points out that numerous other games utilize similar concepts without facing legal challenges. “Sony’s litigation intentionally ignores these facts,” Tencent claims,”Instead,we are trying to convert commonly seen genre elements into monopoly assets.”
Tencent cites games released before and after Horizon – including Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Far Cry: Primal, Far Cry: New Dawn, Outer Wilds, and Biomutant – as examples of titles employing similar genre practices. Tencent is essentially arguing against being penalized for borrowing long-standing genre elements,demanding that Sony not establish an unlisted monopoly on these practices.
Tencent Counters Sony Lawsuit, Claims ‘Horizon’ Concept not Original
Tencent is aggressively defending itself against a lawsuit filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, alleging that Tencent’s upcoming open-world adventure game, Light of Motiram, infringes on the copyright of Horizon Zero Dawn and its associated intellectual property. Tencent argues that Sony’s claim is an attempt to monopolize a common trope in popular culture and that Sony was aware the core concept of Horizon wasn’t original during its own development.
The lawsuit, initially filed by Sony, centers around similarities between Light of Motiram and Horizon Zero Dawn, specifically a “young red-haired female protagonist” navigating a post-apocalyptic world and battling mechanical creatures for survival. Sony alleges that Light of Motiram, developed by Tencent subsidiary Polaris Quest, intentionally infringes on the copyright of Horizon and its associated character branding. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/that-claim-is-startling-tencent-fires-back-at-sonys-lawsuit-accusing-it-of-cloning-horizon-with-light-of-motiram/
However, Tencent contends that Sony is attempting to claim ownership over a widely used premise. They assert that Sony “resurrected” the Horizon project fully aware that the underlying idea was not novel.Tencent points to internal discussions within Sony’s development team, specifically referencing concerns raised by Horizon Zero dawn Art Director Jan-Bat Van Bake during the planning stages. Van Bake reportedly expressed concerns about similarities between Horizon and Bandai Namco’s 2013 game, Enslaved: Odyssey to the west.
Tencent further argues that Horizon Zero Dawn, released in 2017, was itself noted by the gaming community for its resemblance to other titles within the same genre, including Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. They claim sony is now attempting to prevent others from utilizing similar concepts that were already present in the gaming landscape.
Light of Motiram is described as an open-world adventure set in a world where human civilization has vanished, populated by machine animals (“mechanicals”) such as gorillas, deer, and bulls. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/that-claim-is-startling-tencent-fires-back-at-sonys-lawsuit-accusing-it-of-cloning-horizon-with-light-of-motiram/