Looks like Tencent's Horizon Zero Dawn clone just got quietly erased from existence. Their open-world game, Light of Motiram, has completely vanished from Steam after Sony sued them last year for making a slavish copy. The game was supposed to hit PC, PlayStation 5, and mobile.
Sony's lawsuit called the game a blatant rip-off, pointing to the destroyed world setting, animal-like machines, and a red-haired protagonist that looked way too much like Aloy. Tencent tried to fight back in court with some weird arguments, like saying Horizon Zero Dawn itself was not original because its developers once thought it was too similar to another game. That did not work. Sony got a court order blocking promotion of the game, and now it seems a private deal has been struck.
The store page is gone, marked as retired. Both companies have settled out of court, with a generic statement about looking forward to working together. This strongly suggests Tencent folded and canceled the project to avoid a losing legal battle. For anyone wanting a Horizon-style online experience, they will have to wait for other projects like NCSOFT's Steel Frontiers or the official co op game Guerrilla is making.
Sony's lawsuit called the game a blatant rip-off, pointing to the destroyed world setting, animal-like machines, and a red-haired protagonist that looked way too much like Aloy. Tencent tried to fight back in court with some weird arguments, like saying Horizon Zero Dawn itself was not original because its developers once thought it was too similar to another game. That did not work. Sony got a court order blocking promotion of the game, and now it seems a private deal has been struck.
The store page is gone, marked as retired. Both companies have settled out of court, with a generic statement about looking forward to working together. This strongly suggests Tencent folded and canceled the project to avoid a losing legal battle. For anyone wanting a Horizon-style online experience, they will have to wait for other projects like NCSOFT's Steel Frontiers or the official co op game Guerrilla is making.
