Latest news with #HorizonZeroDawn
Metro
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
PlayStation sues Tencent over Horizon ‘clone' Light Of Motiram
A lawsuit by Sony claims Tencent is ripping off Horizon Zero Dawn, after the company originally wanted to make its own game set in Asia. Last November, Chinese conglomerate Tencent announced a brand new survival game for PC called Light Of Motiram; one that you can play with friends as you explore a post-apocalyptic world populated by animal-like machines. The game's announcement quickly went viral, not because it looked any good, but because it looked an awful lot like Sony's Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel. Even the woman depicted in the key art shared many similarities with Horizon protagonist Aloy. At the time, some wondered if Sony would take umbrage with Light Of Motiram. Turns out the answer to that is yes, as the company has formally filed a lawsuit against Tencent, accusing it of copyright and trademark infringement. According to Reuters the lawsuit explicitly describes Light Of Motiram as a 'slavish clone of Sony Interactive Entertainment's immensely popular, award-winning Horizon series of video games.' Sony even cites the initial public response and comments from gaming news websites as evidence of Tencent copying Horizon developer Guerrilla Games' homework. Interestingly, Sony also mentions that representatives of Tencent and one of its internal developers, Aurora Studios, previously approached the company to pitch a new Horizon game – one that would retain the established open world setting but feature 'Eastern aesthetics', survival mechanics, and multiplayer options (so presumably it would've been set in Asia, rather than the US). Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. They went so far as to share a photo of Aurora Studios' team members playing one of the Horizon games at work alongside screenshots of their PlayStation trophy lists to demonstrate how they were 'diehard fans' of the series. Sony rejected the pitch and is convinced that Tencent has repurposed the idea as Light Of Motiram, except they ditched the planned Eastern aesthetic and instead copied Horizon wholesale. 'The Light Of Motiram Promotional Material reflects that even though Sony Interactive Entertainment rejected Tencent's pitch to create a licensed Horizon Franchise game, Tencent continued to produce a game that makes unauthorized use of Sony Interactive Entertainment's rights in the Horizon Franchise intellectual property,' reads the lawsuit. 'In doing so, Tencent misappropriates many of the most distinctive and recognisable protected elements of the Horizon Franchise, including the franchise's overall tone and feel, setting, narrative, characters, and visual expression, leading to confusion as to source, affiliation, and sponsorship of the Light Of Motiram game.' Elsewhere, Sony also gives away that the Horizons series has sold a collective 38 million units in total. According to the PlayStation Blog, 32.7 million units had been sold as of April 2023, meaning roughly six million more have been sold since then. As a reminder, the only Horizon games to have come out in that time were a PlayStation 5 remaster of the first game and the multiplatform Lego Horizon Adventures spin-off. You can read the whole lawsuit in full for yourself, but ultimately Sony is seeking to block Light Of Motiram from ever been released, plus $150,000 'for each separate work in the Horizon Franchise infringed' in damages and for Tencent to hand over any and all marketing materials so Sony can destroy them. At the time of writing, Tencent has yet to issue any sort of response, so it's unclear if it will comply or if it feels it can win the court case. More Trending This situation is reminiscent of the still ongoing Nintendo/Palworld legal battle. As a reminder, Palworld quickly gained infamy for its obvious similarities to Pokémon, to the point where some suspected developer Pocketpair of using AI to copy multiple pokémon designs for its catchable cartoon animals. Nintendo's lawsuit, however, is based on Pocketpair allegedly infringing on Nintendo's patents for certain game mechanics. Since then, Palworld has had some of its mechanics changed. For instance, Pals are no longer summoned by throwing the equivalent of a pokéball, they just appear next to you. All that said, a report by IP consultant Florian Mueller for GamesFray earlier this month argues that Nintendo isn't guaranteed a clean win. In fact, the company has had one of its patents modified which Mueller believes is a Hail Mary to try and obfuscate the issue. The Light Of Motiram situation is different, though, since Sony isn't accusing Tencent of copying Horizon's mechanics but the entire concept and aesthetic, thus potentially confusing people into thinking it's an official Horizon game. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Horizon Forbidden West review – robosaurs wrecks MORE: Horizon Call Of The Mountain review – the summit of PSVR2 achievements MORE: Ubisoft lands itself a Tencent bail out worth £1,000,000,000
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sony's PlayStation Sues Tencent Over Its ‘Slavish Clone' of ‘Horizon' Video Game Franchise
Sony's PlayStation is suing China-based video game giant Tencent over copyright and trademark infringement regarding the former's 'Horizon' franchise. Per a lawsuit filed July 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Sony Interactive Entertainment is alleging Tencent's upcoming game 'Light of Motiram' is a 'slavish clone' of the 'Horizon Zero Dawn' and 'Horizon Forbidden West' video games. More from Variety Sony's New Noise-Canceling Headphones Reshape Audio Clarity and Sound Immersion: Here's How to Buy a Pair Online 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Gets Custom-Curated Fragrance Set From Scentbird Prime Day Ends Tonight: Here Are the Best Deals on Headphones: Apple, Bose, Sony and More PlayStation says its seeking to 'to prevent the imminent release of 'Light of Motiram' — a slavish clone of SIE's immensely popular, award-winning Horizon series of video games. Tencent's copying of Horizonis so blatant that the public has described it as 'crazy,' 'insane,' and 'shameless.' Tencent also used its rip-off of the iconic Horizon main character 'Aloy' as the centerpiece of its pre-release marketing and promotional strategy, deliberately causing numerous game lovers to confuse 'Light of Motiram' as the next game in the 'Horizon' series when encountering Tencent's promotional game play videos and social media accounts.' The lawsuit requests statutory damages of $150,000 for each separate work in the 'Horizon' franchise infringed or of 'SIE's actual damages sustained as a result of Defendants' acts of copyright infringement,' as well as other monetary damages. Representatives for both PlayStation and Tencent did not immediately respond to request for comment Monday. Tencent has not yet set a release date for 'Light of Motiram,' which it describes as follows: 'In a world overrun by colossal machines, explore the vast open world, build your base of operations, advance technology, train Mechanimals, and take on formidable bosses. Starting from the primitive age, forge a new path of development. Defy the machination, survive with mechanimals.' For comparison, here is PlayStation's description for 2017's 'Horizon Zero Dawn,' the first game in its 'Horizon' series: 'In a far future where colossal machines roam and rule the Earth, pockets of humanity survive in unique tribes among the lush, overgrown ruins of our long-lost civilization. Take up bow and spear as Aloy, a young machine hunter and outcast of her tribe, as she discovers her origins, the truth of this mysterious world, and her own destiny to save it from impending doom. ' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Sony sues Tencent for allegedly copying PlayStation's Horizon games, creating a 'clone' of its own: Report
It is not every day that you see a multi-billion dollar corporation suing another for alleged infringement of IP copyrights, and in this case, a video game. Sony has accused and sued the fellow multi-billion dollar corporation of intellectual property copyright infringement over its popular 'Horizon' video game series, developed by Guerilla Games, a studio owned by Sony, Reuters reported. A screenshot from Light of Motiram by Tencent.(Tencent) Light of Motiram, a 'Slavish Clone' Of Horizon Games: Sony Sony says that Tencent's Light of Motiram, which is an upcoming game, is a slavish clone of the Horizon series, which has had two games out so far, Horizon Zero Dawn, the first game, and Horizon Forbidden West, which launched for both PS4 and PS5. Horizon features a game world that is set in a post-apocalyptic future, wherein machines have taken over the world, powered by artificial intelligence, and humans are the survivors who are constantly navigating through the world in search for truth, the past remains, and survival by hunting to make ends meet. The common sentiment online says that Light of Motiram does feature an aesthetic that is similar to Sony's Horizon, there are also machines in the game, the attire of the NPCs and your character also resembles what Sony's Horizon does, and that is exactly what Sony is implying here, too. Tencent describes the setting of the game as a 'world where human civilization has ceased to exist, traverse grasslands, deserts, forests, and mountains to explore unique Mechanimals and mysterious ruins in different regions, unlocking the secrets of MOTIRAM.' When is Light of Motiram going to be released? There is currently no word as to when Light of Motiram is going to release, however, the game has already been listed on various stores like Steam and the Epic Games store. MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price And More
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sony sues Tencent over 'Light of Motiram,' calls game 'slavish clone' of its Horizon series
Sony sues Tencent over 'Light of Motiram,' calls game 'slavish clone' of its Horizon series Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a federal lawsuit against Chinese tech giant Tencent, alleging the company's upcoming game " Light of Motiram " is a "slavish clone" that unlawfully copies core elements from Sony's blockbuster Horizon video game series. The July 25 filing in California federal court seeks $150,000 in statutory damages for each separate work infringed and an immediate injunction to block the game's release. The lawsuit centers on striking similarities between Light of Motiram and Sony's Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West games, both featuring red-haired female protagonists battling robotic creatures in post-apocalyptic worlds. Sony claims Tencent's promotional materials, including trailers and screenshots, "misappropriated protectable elements" of the Horizon franchise to a "significant degree," causing consumer confusion about whether the games are related. Tencent pitched Sony a partnership before creating competing game Court documents reveal that Tencent approached Sony at a March 2024 gaming conference in San Francisco, proposing a collaboration to develop a new Horizon game. After Sony rejected the pitch, Tencent allegedly continued developing Light of Motiram in secret before announcing the project later that year. Sony claims Tencent had already begun work on the game in 2023, prior to the partnership proposal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo When Sony attempted to resolve the dispute informally, Tencent reportedly sought again to license Horizon intellectual property. Sony firmly declined and demanded Light of Motiram be withdrawn, but Tencent rejected these demands and signaled plans to proceed with the game's development. Sony uses community's 'shameless' callouts to strengthen its case The lawsuit cites widespread public recognition of the games' similarities, including media who dubbed Light of Motiram "Horizon Zero Originality" and community comments describing it as "shameless." One Steam user comment included in the filing reads: "Not only does it look like a copy of the Horizon games, but you had the cheek to copy the cover art as well." Sony's Horizon series, which debuted in 2017, has sold tens of millions of copies across multiple games and spin-offs. Light of Motiram is being developed by Polaris Quest , a Tencent subsidiary, with no confirmed release date. Neither company responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Engadget
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Sony sues Tencent over its Horizon Zero Dawn clone
Sony is suing Tencent for copying nearly every aspect of its Horizon games for the upcoming Light of Motiram , an open-world hunting game with some obvious similarities to Sony's franchise, as first reported by Reuters . Tencent first announced the new game in November 2024. The lawsuit goes into detail on the various ways Tencent's new game appears to be unlawfully copying memorable aspects of Horizon Zero Dawn , Horizon Forbidden West and Lego Horizon Adventures . That include the basic setup of the game (a post-apocalyptic setting where tribes of humans coexist with machines), the visual appearance of Light of Motiram 's characters and even how Sony presents the franchise online. It all adds up to what Sony describes as a "slavish clone" of the Horizon franchise, something Engadget and other publications easily clocked when Tencent first announced the game. The most damning part of Sony's lawsuit is its claim that Tencent tried to license the Horizon IP before it even announced Light of Motiram . The company wanted to "develop its own Horizon game in collaboration with SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment)," Sony claims, and proposed licensing the Horizon IP to create a mobile game that introduced "Eastern aesthetics" and elements like "survival and crafting, pet taming, [multiplayer game modes], etc." After Sony rejected the offer, Tencent announced Light of Motiram anyway, with many of the mechanics it pitched and using many recognizable visual elements of the Horizon franchise. In response to the damage and customer confusion caused by Tencent making Light of Motiram , Sony wants an injunction that prevents Tencent from continuing to develop or release the game, along with money and the destruction of anything related to Light of Motiram . The ball is in Tencent's court to argue otherwise, which seems like it might be difficult.
