The story of Light of Motiram is not new, far from it. We’ve seen how many times inspiration and also “inspiration”may become a point of controversy in the video game industry, and this time it’s Tencent’s turn. The Chinese video game giant has announced its new title, Light of Motiram, developed by its subsidiary Polaris Quest. However, what should be an exciting new project has been overshadowed by accusations of plagiarism due to the game’s similarity to Sony’s Horizon series.

The Motiram light is a An open world multiplayer survival game set in a post-apocalyptic setting. The coexistence of nature and mechanical machines is one of its main pillars, and in this mix, players can build bases, collect resources and tame “mecanimals”, mechanical creatures that have direct comparisons to the characteristic machines of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden. West. Even her bow-and-arrow-equipped female lead feels like an echo of Aloy, Sony’s iconic heroine.

The gaming community was slow to realize these similarities and Social media was full of comments accusing Tencent of copying key elements of the Horizon franchise. “”Can I be the first to say this? hahaha, that’s for sure,” commented a user on the Steam forums. Meanwhile, several media outlets, especially niche ones, echoed the criticism, calling Light of Motiram a blatant clone.

Despite this criticism, Neither Tencent nor Sony have issued an official statement on the matter.. This lack of answers leaves open the possibility of future litigation, especially considering this wouldn’t be the first time the alleged inspirations have ended up in court. In recent months, games like Palworld have faced similar situations, accused of copying Pokémon.

Light Motiram is scheduled for release on PC, with a date yet to be confirmed via Steam and the Epic Games Store. While it has not been confirmed whether a free or paid distribution model will follow, it is known to feature co-op modes for up to ten players and cross-play support. These features, along with the theme and visuals, will be key to its acceptance, though it’s undeniable that at least what they’ve shown so far is quite promising in addition to the familiar.

Debate about the line between inspiration and plagiarism It’s nothing new, but cases like this revive the question of when a work stops being an homage and becomes a copy. Player reaction and possible legal action will determine the future of Light of Motiram and whether it can establish itself as more than a dubious version of Horizon.

More information