Sony has once again taken Tencent to court, dismissing its defense as “nonsense” and accusing the company of shirking responsibility for Light of Motiram — a title Sony says brazenly imitates Horizon.
In July, Sony filed a lawsuit against Tencent, alleging that the mobile game Light of Motiram is a blatant clone of the Horizon franchise, reportedly recreating the original’s world, characters, creatures, and music. In September, Tencent moved to dismiss the suit, asserting there was no infringement and accusing Sony of trying to “monopolize the genre.”
Now Sony has submitted a new 35-page filing rejecting Tencent’s arguments and calling them a “shell game.” The company insists the damage has already been done: videos, images, and marketing assets featuring lookalikes of Horizon’s heroine and creatures continue to circulate on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and YouTube.
Sony alleges that Tencent is using a network of subsidiaries — Aurora Studios, Level Infinite, and Proxima Beta — to obscure the parent company’s involvement, while Tencent Holdings holds the trademark, the domain lightofmotiram.com, and the Tencent Games brand.
According to Sony, Light of Motiram “so closely mirrors Horizon that fans and journalists have openly criticized the resemblance.” The complaint notes that a red-haired, bow-wielding character was designed to evoke Aloy and was used on banners, icons, and posters.
Sony is seeking denial of Tencent’s motion and plans to proceed to discovery to obtain access to the corporation’s internal communications.
Source: iXBT.games