According to TechPowerUp, Sony’s copyright lawsuit against Tencent over the game Light of Motiram has been dismissed. Court documents from July show the case was dropped “with prejudice” at the request of both parties, with each bearing their own costs. This strongly indicates a confidential settlement was reached behind closed doors. Following this dismissal, Tencent has silently delisted Light of Motiram from storefronts including Steam and the Epic Games Store. The game, a free-to-play open-world survival title, had been accused of being too similar to Sony’s Horizon series. This all happened after Tencent had already altered the game’s store assets back in August during the initial lawsuit.
The quiet exit strategy
So, here’s the thing. A dismissal “with prejudice” is basically the legal equivalent of “this is over for good.” It means Sony can’t just turn around and refile the same claim later. But the real story is in what we don’t know. The terms are almost certainly locked in a confidential agreement. Was there a payment? A licensing deal? We’ll probably never get the full picture. The immediate outcome, though, is crystal clear: the game got scrubbed from major PC platforms. That’s a pretty definitive result for Sony.
When “inspiration” goes too far
This isn’t Tencent‘s first dance with this particular problem. They already tweaked the game’s description and screenshots mid-lawsuit back in August, which was a pretty clear sign they felt the heat. It seems the “Horizon clone” label was sticking a little too well for Sony’s comfort. And let’s be real, in the hyper-competitive free-to-play market, using a familiar, proven aesthetic is a common shortcut to grab attention. But this case shows there’s a line, and when you’re tangling with a behemoth like Sony that fiercely guards its flagship IP, you can cross it at your own peril. The question is, was this a calculated risk that didn’t pay off, or just a miscalculation?
What does Tencent do now?
Now the game is in limbo. Is this the end for Light of Motiram? Maybe. But Tencent could also be back at the drawing board, overhauling the art, designs, and maybe even gameplay mechanics to distance itself from any Horizon similarities as part of the settlement. That’s a massive, costly undertaking. Alternatively, they might just cut their losses and shelve the project entirely, absorbing the development cost as a lesson learned. For a company of Tencent’s scale, one failed project isn’t a disaster, but it’s a stark reminder that even giants have to play by the rules—or at least be a lot more clever about how they bend them.
