Key Takeaways
- Light of Motiram, a new Tencent game, is being accused of blatantly lifting ideas from Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series.
- Gamers believe Light of Motiram copies various Horizon aspects, such as a post-apocalyptic setting, mechanized animals, and even a redhead character who uses a bow and arrow.
- Light of Motiram differentiates itself from Horizon by offering co-op and base building mechanics, but many gamers wonder if legal action from Sony against Tencent is possible.
A newly-revealed Tencent game dubbed Light of Motiram is receiving criticism from gamers online due to its blatant similarities to Guerrilla Games’ renowned Horizon series. While it isn’t unusual for games to draw inspiration from existing critically-acclaimed titles, the Horizon influence in Light of Motiram is a bit overbearing, to say the least.
Despite being less than a decade old, the Horizon series has gained significant prominence among PlayStation’s roster of award-winning IPs. The franchise’s debut game, Horizon Zero Dawn, was lauded by players for its beautiful post-apocalyptic setting, which could turn lethal in moments thanks to the mechanized animals prowling the landscape. Horizon Zero Dawn ultimately sold over 24 million copies and spawned a highly successful franchise in the process. Guerrilla confirmed last year that it’s working on 16 Horizon projects.
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Horizon‘s setting is rather unique, so if any game were to draw inspiration from it, it’d be quite obvious. That’s exactly what’s happening with Light of Motiram, which was revealed very recently. Developed by Tencent subsidiary Polaris Quest, Light of Motiram’s Steam page touts it as an open-world adventure game set in a world where “human civilization has ceased to exist” and “nature meets machine.” This initial description already hints at some influence from the Horizon series, but Light of Motiram takes it multiple steps further.
Light of Motiram Looks Extremely Similar to Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West
The preview images of Light of Motiram‘s world bear a striking semblance to the Horizon games, right down to the lush green scenery, mechanized animals, and primitive human settlements. There’s even a female character who has red hair and wields a bow and arrow, much like Aloy, the protagonist of the Horizon series. The robotic beasts (dubbed “Mechanimals”) can also be befriended and tamed, marking yet another similarity to the override mechanic for the machines in Horizon games. Glaring likeness aside, Light of Motiram does differentiate itself from the Horizon series in a few important ways, such as co-op multiplayer functionality with up to nine players and the ability to build shelters.
Still, Light of Motiram has been subject to extensive flak for its liberal inspiration from the Horizon games. Many have even been pondering whether Guerrilla Games and Sony have grounds to pursue legal action against Polaris Quest and Tencent. It wouldn’t be all that unfathomable, since Nintendo sued Palworld developer Pocket Pair a few months ago for alleged patent infringement of certain gameplay mechanics. Light of Motiram is currently scheduled for a 2025 release on PC and mobile, but that could change if Sony decides it flew too close to the sun.
Horizon
The Horizon franchise follows Aloy as she is forced to contend with a series of powerful, towering robotic creatures in a post-apocalyptic landscape. The third-person action-RPG has already seen a sequel with Horizon: Forbidden West and gives players the freedom to explore the open world as they see fit.