Gaming Behemoth Brawl: Sony Escalates Legal Battle, Seeks Injunction Against Tencent’s Alleged ‘Horizon’ Copycat

The Latest salvo in the High-Stakes Intellectual Property War

The ongoing legal conflict between gaming titans Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and Tencent Holdings has reached a critical juncture. In a significant escalation of the dispute over the alleged copyright infringement of the Horizon franchise, Sony has officially filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against Tencent’s upcoming open-world survival game, Light of Motiram.

This move, lodged with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on Thursday, October 16, 2025 (local time), seeks immediate judicial intervention to bar Tencent from using material allegedly copied or derived from SIE’s highly successful and valuable intellectual property, particularly the Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West titles. The filing comes as a direct response to Tencent’s earlier motion to dismiss the high-profile copyright infringement lawsuit, which Sony originally filed in July 2025.

A ‘Slavish Clone’: Sony’s Core Accusations

Sony’s initial lawsuit and the recent injunction request unequivocally describe Light of Motiram as a “slavish clone” of the Horizon series. Central to their argument are multiple points of alleged copying, including:

• The protagonist: Sony seeks to prevent the use of a “fierce tribal warrior huntress characterized by fiery red hair” whom they argue is a blatant knock-off of the Horizon franchise’s lead character, Aloy. They claim Tencent is attempting to trade off of the Aloy Character Mark’s goodwill and reputation.
• Visuals and Gameplay Elements: The complaint cites similarities in the post-apocalyptic world setting, the presence of hostile robotic wildlife, and the overall aesthetic—elements that constitute the unique game design and creative pillars of the Horizon universe.
• Audio Infringement: Sony’s filing specifically targets a melody used in Light of Motiram’s promotional material, which they allege is too similar to two compositions from the Horizon Zero Dawn OST, including the main theme.

In the new filing, Sony directly refutes Tencent’s defense—which posited that the similarities are merely “well-trodden tropes” in the survival game genre—calling it “nonsense.”

The Urgency of Injunctive Relief: ‘The Damage Is Done’

A key aspect of Sony’s argument for a preliminary injunction is the claim of irreparable harm already caused by Tencent’s promotion, even with the latter having quietly delayed the game’s release to late 2027 and scrubbing some of the more egregious Horizon-like screenshots from its Steam page.

The company maintains that this eleventh-hour revision and delay does not undo the alleged infringement, stating: “The damage is done, and it continues.” Sony argues that the public outcry and media attention—which widely described Light of Motiram as a Horizon rip-off upon its announcement—demonstrates that consumer confusion has already occurred, thereby jeopardizing the continued success and expansion plans for the Horizon franchise. Notably, a sworn declaration filed in the lawsuit revealed new details about the upcoming Horizon Zero Dawn film adaptation, underscoring the high value and expansive nature of the intellectual property at risk.

Furthermore, Sony accuses the Chinese conglomerate of engaging in a “shell game” by attempting to shield itself from liability by pointing to its various subsidiaries (such as Aurora Studios and Polaris Quest) involved in the game’s development.

What a Preliminary Injunction Would Mean for the Gaming Industry

If the court grants Sony’s motion, the ramifications would be immediate and substantial. A preliminary injunction could force Tencent to:

• Immediately halt all pre-release promotional activities for Light of Motiram that use the disputed material.
• Redesign the main protagonist and remove any other alleged infringing visuals or storyline elements.
• Potentially freeze development work utilizing the contested IP until the full copyright and trademark case is concluded.

This is a particularly aggressive legal strategy, as a granted injunction signals the court’s preliminary belief that Sony is likely to succeed on the merits of its case. It would set a powerful precedent regarding the protection of unique aesthetic and thematic elements—the “look, sound, characters, and narrative“—in the video game development space, especially in relation to highly valuable, AAA intellectual property. The outcome could significantly impact how developers approach genre conventions versus distinct IP features.

The Road Ahead: Date for the Hearing

A hearing on Sony’s motion for a preliminary injunction is currently slated for November 20, 2025, in San Francisco, before Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. The global gaming community and investors alike are closely monitoring this case, as its resolution will likely redefine the boundaries of acceptable influence and actionable plagiarism in a competitive and rapidly evolving global video game market. The final judgment will determine whether Tencent’s defense of utilizing “time-honored tropes” holds up against Sony’s claim of deliberate, blatant copying aimed at capitalizing on the multi-billion dollar success of the Horizon brand.