Sony has filed a preliminary injunction against Tencent to block Light of Motiram, claiming it copies Horizon’s Aloy, machines, and music.
In July, Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Tencent, accusing the Chinese tech giant of copying Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West with its upcoming game Light of Motiram. The lawsuit claimed the game was a “slavish clone,” calling out the character design, robotic wildlife, worldbuilding, and even music as suspiciously close to the Horizon franchise.
Earlier this week, The Game Post reported that Sony had filed an opposition to Tencent’s motion to dismiss, calling the company’s arguments “nonsense” and accusing it of dodging legal responsibility through a web of subsidiaries.
Now, there’s another major update in the case: Sony is officially asking the court to step in and stop Tencent from moving forward with Light of Motiram while the lawsuit plays out. In a motion for a preliminary injunction, Sony says it “is likely to succeed on the merits of its copyright and trademark claims” and wants a ruling before the end of the year.
Sony Wants a Full Stop on Light of Motiram
Sony’s legal team filed the motion for preliminary injunction earlier today (seen by The Game Post), asking Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley (who many remember for her ruling in the FTC v. Microsoft/Activision case) to hold a hearing on November 20, 2025.
Sony is asking the court to issue an order that would bar Tencent and its affiliates from promoting, copying, or releasing Light of Motiram, as well as from using what it describes as a “fierce tribal warrior huntress characterized by fiery red hair” that closely resembles Aloy, along with several other elements allegedly lifted from Horizon’s story, visuals, and music.
The request is wide-ranging. Sony wants to stop Tencent from reproducing or distributing any works “copied or derived” from the Horizon games.
“SIE seeks a preliminary injunction enjoining Defendants (“Tencent”) from reproducing, preparing derivative works of, displaying, performing, and distributing any works copied or derived from SIE’s Horizon Works, including Light of Motiram, and from using the ALOY Character Mark or any confusingly similar mark pending trial,” the motion reads.
“The grounds for this motion are that SIE is likely to succeed on the merits of its copyright and trademark claims; that it will suffer irreparable harm during the pendency of this action absent the requested relief; that the balance of equities favors SIE; and that the public interest will be served by issuing a preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo during the pendency of this action.”
Sony even points to music. According to it, the trailer for Light of Motiram closely mimics the style and structure of key Horizon tracks, especially the series’ main theme and a track called City on the Mesa. The motion highlights shared “pillars” in the music: electronic elements for robots, tribal percussion, and melodic vocals that reflect the natural world.
“There are objective similarities in protected elements from the music in the trailer and the ‘City on the Mesa’ song on the Horizon Zero Dawn soundtrack. As the Principal Music Supervisor overseeing the Horizon score explains: both ‘the melody is very similar’ and it ‘is a result that one can expect when giving both the Horizon main theme and City On the Mesa as reference musical pieces to a composer.'”
Backed by Guerrilla and PlayStation Executive
In support of its motion for a preliminary injunction, Sony also filed a series of sworn declarations from several key figures directly connected to the Horizon franchise and PlayStation leadership. These include:
- Jan-Bart van Beek, Studio and Art Director, Guerrilla Games
- Lucas van Tol, Music Lead, Guerrilla Games
- Asad Qizilbash, Senior Vice President of Publishing and Head of PlayStation Productions
- Matthew Kuykendall, Director, Brand and IP, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Guerrilla Games’ Studio Director, Jan-Bart van Beek, states that Light of Motiram “simply copies Horizon in almost every respect—including artwork, imagery, landscape, characters, sound, and storyline.” He says fans have already mistaken Motiram for a Horizon sequel or spin-off and that the imitation has “impacted morale at the studio” and damaged confidence in the team’s future projects.
“There is an even greater risk of harm to the Horizon franchise if Light of Motiram, once released, does not have the same high quality as the Horizon games,” the declaration reads. “The confusion caused by Light of Motiram promotions has already interfered with our existing Horizon development strategy, as there is a risk that future expansion could be incorrectly interpreted as copying Light of Motiram.”
Lucas van Tol’s declaration zeroes in on Light of Motiram’s trailer music, saying there are “striking similarities between [the] promotional trailer and the Horizon music.” He explains that Horizon’s soundtrack was built around three creative “pillars”: “robot animals, tribes, and majestic nature.”
“The melody is very similar to one of our other most-loved music pieces from Horizon Zero Dawn: ‘City On the Mesa’. It is a result that one can expect when giving both the Horizon main theme and ‘City on the Mesa’ as reference musical pieces to a composer.
“The opening melody in Light of Motiram’s trailer also has a striking resemblance to the string-phrase in the opening title track from Forbidden West called ‘In The Flood,’ that directly transitions from a ‘City On the Mesa’ variance. It seems like most of the melody contains the same four notes from the Dorian mode, just in a different order.”
Asad Qizilbash’s 15-page declaration gives the most expansive look yet at how Sony sees Horizon—not just as a hit game, but as a carefully built, multi-platform franchise. It’s also one of the most heavily redacted documents in the filings.
Qizilbash oversees PlayStation Productions. In his statement, he describes Horizon as “one of SIE’s most valuable franchises,” not only for game sales but for “licensing and merchandising opportunities.” Although the revenue numbers are redacted, Qizilbash notes that the series has generated enormous returns since Horizon Zero Dawn’s release and continues to attract “potential partners … express[ing] interest in developing or licensing the Horizon IP as one of SIE’s most valuable and recognizable properties.”
He calls Sony’s approach to franchise growth a “flywheel”. “A copycat game emerging during franchise development,” he warns, “risks confusing consumers, diminishing value to licensees and partners, and destabilizing and jeopardizing the whole flywheel.”
He stresses that Motiram’s marketing is colliding with a critical expansion phase for Horizon:
“Even if SIE prevails at trial in this case after several years of litigation, such a victory will not undo the damage caused by Tencent’s copying. I cannot emphasize enough how pivotal this particularly point in time is to the successful expansion of the Horizon franchise. The uncertainty caused by Light of Motiram jeopardizes all our current expansion plans, including those already underway.”
Judge Corley is set to hold the preliminary injunction hearing on November 20, 2025, in San Francisco. A decision could arrive by late November or early December, depending on the court’s schedule.
If granted, the injunction could force Tencent to pull all promotional material for Light of Motiram, halt development work that uses Horizon’s alleged IP, and bar any further use of the Aloy-like character or music until the case concludes.
What do you think? Should the court grant Sony’s request? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
