Hey, wake up! We have a brand-new alleged knock-off on the scene, and this one’s sure to stir up some legal drama soon. Tencent Games, along with its subsidiary Polaris Quest, has just rolled out Light of Motiram—a game that’s supposedly “legally distinct” from PlayStation’s Horizon series. The twist? It’s launching as an MMO exclusively for PC, at least for now.
This sudden announcement dropped out of the blue, bringing with it a lengthy press release (thanks to Gematsu), as well as trailers, screenshots, and even a detailed Steam page. It’s also set to hit the Epic Games Store, but as for how they’re pricing it or if it’s free-to-play, that’s still a mystery.
In light of this, the creators behind Palworld might get a bit of a breather, as Light of Motiram is bound to grab headlines in the coming weeks, particularly due to its striking resemblance to an existing IP. It’s hard not to imagine Sony scrambling to send legal notices Tencent’s way. Almost every aspect of the game, from its visuals to creature designs, feels like it’s treading on some serious familiar territory.
Check out the main teaser trailer (there are other videos out too):
[YouTube Video Image]
Interestingly, this buzz-worthy announcement lands before PlayStation has even officially revealed their own online-only Horizon game, which seems to be their most ambitious move into the live-service sector yet—where stresses are already running high. From the success of Palworld, which thrived on fun gameplay despite its similarities to other games, it’s clear that players often overlook clone-like aspects if the game itself is enjoyable. If Polaris Quest nails an engaging gameplay loop, it might prove to be problematic for PlayStation and Guerrilla’s take on Horizon, suggesting legal tussles might be on the way—pun intended.
Light of Motiram seems to hinge on the winning formula of survival and crafting that’s been lucratively popular recently, with combat reminiscent of Monster Hunter—a smart fit for translating Horizon’s mechanical battles into multiplayer. I’d bet Guerrilla is contemplating a similar strategy for their upcoming Horizon project.
[Image of Light of Motiram – Mech Mammoth Battle]
Anyway, this seems to be another hurdle in Horizon’s rocky journey. Despite being positioned as Sony’s next big thing, the franchise has struggled to maintain momentum beyond initial releases. Each new entry has faced stiff competition from more captivating releases, and to add to its woes, the Lego Horizon Adventures didn’t perform as expected, at least on PC sales.
Even the proposed Horizon live-action series with Netflix has hit a major snag. PlayStation Studios and the streamer have pressed pause on the project after reports emerged about showrunner Steve Blackman’s unfavorable work environment. Ouch.
