Sony Sues Tencent Over Alleged Copycat Game
In a bold legal move, Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent, claiming that its upcoming game, Light of Motiram, is a “slavish clone” of its acclaimed Horizon series. The lawsuit, lodged in a California federal court, accuses Tencent of copyright and trademark infringement, asserting that the similarities between Light of Motiram and the Horizon games are so pronounced that players could easily mistake the two as being part of the same franchise.
According to the lawsuit, after Tencent began developing Light of Motiram, they approached Sony with a proposal to collaborate on a new Horizon game, which Sony declined. Despite this rejection, Tencent allegedly continued to develop its own game that closely mirrors the elements of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, including a strikingly similar protagonist and thematic elements. This case highlights ongoing tensions in the gaming industry regarding intellectual property rights and originality.
As the gaming community watches this legal battle unfold, it raises an important question: how far can developers go in drawing inspiration from existing franchises before crossing the line into infringement?
Original source: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sony-sues-tencent-claiming-its-light-of-motiram-game-is-a-slavish-clone-of-its-horizon-series/