Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has accused Tencent of developing “Slavish Clone” of its popular horizon series in a new case.
trial (Shared online by game file) On July 25, it was filed in the northern district of California and claimed that the upcoming Open-World Adventure of TENCENT, Motiram lightThe horizon franchise has a “bang” and “illegal” per.
SIE reported that the horizon has become one of its most valuable intellectual qualities since debuting in 2017 and claims that Tencent is trying to benefit from the success by releasing a “rip off” that incorrectly abuses the “overall tone, feel, sound and appearance” of the series.
“The overall effect was made aware of the adoption of Tencent Motiram light The same high-loyalty, post-epocaliptic visual aesthetics concluded the succulent natural environment, tribal culture, future mechanical elements, and mainly the sounds of ether in the Soprano register are largely the same. Horizon zero don And Horizon forbidden west Audiovizual works and violates copyright in it, “reads the suit.
Tencent is also accused of adopting Sony’s outlook for branding using a “Red-Hair Women Main character” to bring the title to the market, especially on social media. C claims that it is a strategy that “a deliberate violation of the alloy character mark.”
Sony claims that Tencent demands license to horizon franchise
Perhaps the best accusation in the trial, C claims that Tensent first attempted a license to the horizon franchise in March 2024 to make a mobile title that would expand the series by incorporating “Eastern aesthetics”.
The PlayStation maker says that the tension pitch was dismissed outright and it considered the matter to be closed. However, it also assumes that Tensent only created that approach after starting work on Motiram’s light and continued to develop the title “secretly” even after failing to secure the horizon license.
The C -trial includes several screenshots of the pitch deck (shown below) during that 2024 meeting. The Japanese company states that Tencent suggested that the title would have “GAAS optimization capacity” and it would have to include gameplay elements such as survival elements such as existence, crafting, stomach taming and multiplayer game mode.
Image through Soni
“The pitch deck consisted of mock-up of eastern-inspired designs and settings, including an alloy-Hyrizone’s leading female character-steel on the great wall of China,” the suit continues. “During this meeting, at any time Tencent did not reveal that it was already working on a game that was based on horizon IP assets.”
C said that it dismissed the TENCENT pitch on 8 April 2025, as it was not understood to carry forward a horizon universe crossover. Tencent announced Motiram light Later that year.
As a result, SIE claims that Tencent has violated the Copyright Act and is causing irreparable damage to its business. The company is demanding an initial and permanent prohibition that will prevent Tencent from promoting and eventually selling Motiram lightIt is also demanding damage, which includes up to $ 150,000 for separate work in each “horizon franchise, and should be ordered for tenant to order all violative ingredients to distribute Classes for destruction.
