Tencent and Sony have reached a confidential settlement to dismiss Sony’s lawsuit over Light of Motiram, which the company alleged was a “slavish clone” of Geurilla Games’ Horizon series.
The news comes from a court document filed on Wednesday of this week (thanks, The Verge). According to the document, the case has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning it is permanently over and won’t resurface in court.
A statement provided to The Verge by Sean Durkin, head of communications for Tencent Americas, reads: “[Sony Interactive Entertainment] and Tencent are pleased to have reached a confidential resolution and will have no further public comment on this matter. SIE and Tencent look forward to working together in the future.”
All the while, at the time of publication, Light of Motiram is no longer listed on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Both storefronts are still hyperlinked on the game’s official website. The current state of Light of Motiram is unknown.
The legal battle started back in July 25 when Sony filed the lawsuit, claiming that Tencent’s open-world adventure title was a “blatant” and “unlawful” copy of the Horizon franchise. The company alleged that Tencent was attempting to benefit from the series’ success by releasing a “rip off” that misappropriates the “overall tone, feel, sound, and appearance” of the games.
Then, around two weeks later, Tencent edited the Steam store page for Light of Motiram to remove certain screenshots and promotional text, including descriptions of “mechanimals” and a promotional image that featured a character resembling Horizon protagonist Aloy.
The news continued in September when Tencent filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, disagreeing with the claims about committing copyright and trademark infringement. Back then, the company said Sony’s lawsuit contained “undifferentiated, vague allegations,” and that it was “based almost entirely on speculation regarding future conduct.”
“At bottom, Sony’s effort is not aimed at fighting off piracy, plagiarism, or any genuine threat to intellectual property. It is an improper attempt to fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture and declare it Sony’s exclusive domain,” read the motion.
Game Developer has contacted Sony for clarification on the matter.
