A “counterfeit” that could harm Horizon
And the tone is set in this 35-page document relayed by The Game Post, in which Sony calls Tencent’s latest statements “insane.” The company does not hesitate to talk about Light of Motiram like a “ counterfeit »and even though Tencent has changed a few things on its game’s Steam page, Sony thinks that’s not enough:
“ The damage is done, and it continues. Despite public confusion and outrage over the infringement of Light of Motiram, Tencent has not relented. Tencent continued to promote its infringing game despite SIE’s objection, and refused to take responsibility for its conduct. »
The manufacturer goes even further by declaring that Light of Motiram could harm the image ofHorizon :
“ Light of Motiram – a copy so blatant that the public loudly denounced the use of copyrighted material from Horizon – jeopardizes the continued success of Horizon, including the franchise’s current expansion plans. The copying was so blatant that many journalists and Horizon fans called Light of Motiram a “major plagiarism of Horizon”, an “obvious copy”, with a main character “looking like Aloy to perfection” and “extremely similar to Horizon Zero Dawn”. »
Sony then follows up on the legal dodge that Tencent attempted, with the latter claiming that the wrong company had been sued. The game is developed by Polaris Quest and Aurora Studios, under the orders of Tencent Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd and Proxima Beta PTE Ltd. However, Sony sued Tencent America, Proxima Beta US and Tencent Holdings. Sony therefore responds to this by accusing Tencent of playing a fool’s game with all its subsidiaries to invalidate this legal measure:
“ After SIE was forced to file a lawsuit, Tencent attempted to evade liability by using subterfuge with its brands and entities. […] Tencent Holdings describes its own company as having a Gaming division that “owns Aurora Studios”, the Light of Motiram development studio. Tencent Holdings reports its entire gaming revenue and liabilities in its annual report, without attribution to any subsidiary. In addition, it uses the Tencent name to promote its games, such as Light of Motiram, without distinction between subsidiaries. »
In short, Sony is definitely not happy here, and the climate between the two suggests that this affair will go a little further than expected.