Sony Blocks Tencent From Promoting Light of Motiram During Horizon Related Lawsuit, With Court Hearings Scheduled for January 2026

Sony and Tencent have entered a new stage in their ongoing legal dispute over Light of Motiram. The controversy began shortly after Tencent revealed the game, which many players and analysts quickly compared to Sony’s Horizon series. The comparisons grew serious enough that Sony filed a lawsuit, describing Light of Motiram as a slavish clone. The case has now progressed into a phase that places temporary restrictions on Tencent’s ability to promote or test the game publicly.

According to a detailed report from The Game Post, both companies have jointly requested that the court extend the current briefing schedule and set the hearings for Tencent’s motion to dismiss and Sony’s motion for an injunction on the same date in January 2026. The filing was submitted to the Northern District of California on December 1.

The report indicates that both Sony and Tencent have been engaged in active discussions aimed at resolving the dispute. The filing outlines specific agreements made while the court processes the extended schedule.
These agreements include the following commitments from both parties.

First, Sony asked, and Tencent accepted, that neither side will use the extended schedule to argue that Sony delayed in seeking a preliminary injunction. Second, Tencent will not engage in any new promotion or public testing of Light of Motiram while the motion for a preliminary injunction is pending. Third, the release date of Light of Motiram will not be moved forward to any date before the fourth quarter of 2027. Fourth, Tencent will not pursue expedited discovery related to the preliminary injunction.

With these conditions in place, the case will move into a slower and more structured phase. Tencent is expected to file its reply to Sony’s injunction request on December 17, 2025. Sony will then respond to that filing on January 2, 2026. Both the motion to dismiss and the injunction hearing are scheduled for January 29, 2026.

The extended timeline gives both companies more room to negotiate, process filings and prepare for the upcoming hearing that may determine the future of the case. Should ongoing discussions prove productive, it is possible that both sides reach an agreement prior to the January hearing date. At the moment, however, the case remains active, and Light of Motiram will stay paused in terms of marketing and testing while the court considers Sony’s claims.

As the industry observes this high profile dispute, many are waiting to see how it might influence future scrutiny of game similarities, intellectual property protection and visual design overlap in large scale franchises. The outcome could shape how publishers and developers navigate creative boundaries in an increasingly competitive market.

Do you believe Light of Motiram crosses the line into infringement, or is it an example of genre inspiration turning into legal uncertainty