Sony’s lawsuit against the Chinese tech giant Tencent and its subsidiary, Polaris Quest, appears to have been a wake-up call.

On July 25, Sony filed a lawsuit in a California federal court against Tencent and its subsidiary, Polaris Quest, over Light of Motiram. Sony accused Tencent of creating a copy of the Horizon series, claiming that Light of Motiram stole gameplay elements and character designs from Horizon. At the center of the copyright lawsuit was the red-haired female protagonist of Light of Motiram, who wields a bow and closely resembles Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon. Tencent had initially approached Sony to obtain a license for the Horizon IP for a potential 2024 mobile spin-off, but Sony rejected the offer.

While the lawsuit is still ongoing, Tencent and Polaris Quest have made several changes in response. The game’s description on Steam has been updated, and new images have been added that remove references to Horizon (including any resemblance to Aloy). The original description of Light of Motiram mentioned mechanical animals and massive machines similar to those in the Horizon series, but these have been redesigned to be more generic. According to the new description, players must survive in a harsh land filled with fearsome bosses and challenges. Robot penguins and dogs have appeared, and the game’s release date has been pushed back to the fourth quarter of 2027 (it was previously planned for an earlier launch).

Light of Motiram is not alone. Following legal action between Nintendo and Pocketpair, the popular Palworld has implemented changes to remove all references to throwing a ball at a monster (as in Pokémon with its Poké Balls). Despite the changes to Light of Motiram, the ongoing lawsuit between Sony and Tencent may be just the tip of the iceberg, as major game developers continue to protect their intellectual property and trademarks.

Source: GameRant, Steam