Sony vs Tencent Ends Fast - And the Game's Gone From Stores

Sony and Tencent have ended their legal fight over Tencent's upcoming game Light of Motiram. The settlement is confidential, but the visible outcome is simple: the game has been pulled from major PC storefronts, and the court case is being closed for good.

What happened: settlement agreed, store pages pulled

Sony and Tencent have settled their dispute, and Light of Motiram has been delisted from Steam and the Epic Games Store. =

• Settlement described as confidential
• Steam product page removed
• Epic Games Store product page removed
• Both sides asked the court to dismiss the case

The timing matters. The court filing shows both parties requested the case be dismissed after reaching a settlement, and the store removals happened alongside that filing. That doesn’t confirm what Tencent will do next — but it does suggest the game is being changed, paused, or repositioned.

Why Sony sued: “slavish clone” and consumer confusion

Sony filed the lawsuit in California federal court in July, accusing Tencent of copyright and trademark infringement. Sony argued Light of Motiram was close enough to Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West that players could think it was part of the same series.

• Sony’s complaint: copyright + trademark infringement
• Concern raised: brand confusion for players
• Framed as copying the look/feel closely enough to mislead

This is the core of these cases: it’s not just “games can look similar”. It’s the claim that the overlap is so strong it crosses into protected elements (and that people might buy it thinking it’s connected to Sony’s franchise). Sony’s language was blunt, calling it a “slavish clone”.

Tencent’s response: “startling” claims and a testing pause

Tencent pushed back publicly in its response, calling Sony’s claims “startling” and accusing Sony of trying to monopolise part of popular culture. VGC also notes that earlier this month Tencent halted public testing while the lawsuit played out.

• Tencent challenged the lawsuit’s framing
• Tencent said Sony was trying to own a broad idea
• Public testing was halted during the dispute

That testing pause now reads like a warning sign. When legal pressure hits, the first thing that tends to disappear is anything public-facing: tests, trailers, store pages, marketing beats. It reduces risk while lawyers do their thing.

“Dismissed with prejudice”: what it means for players

The filing says the case will be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it’s closed and can’t be refiled later. It also states all pending motions are withdrawn, and each side covers its own fees and costs.

• Case is closed permanently (in legal terms)
• No more motions or hearings in this action
• Each side pays their own costs
• Settlement terms remain private

For players, the practical takeaway is: you shouldn’t expect public details on what changed hands. The most you’ll likely see is what happens next to Light of Motiram — if it returns to stores later, how it’s presented, and how different it looks.

If you want the local angle on Tencent’s wider games push, here’s our coverage of Tencent showing up in Abu Dhabi as part of BRIDGE Summit’s ChinaJoy pavilion.

Written by

Share

Copied