Hey, wake up! There’s a new game on the scene that’s turning heads for all the wrong reasons. Tencent Games, along with its subsidiary Polaris Quest, just dropped a bombshell with their latest announcement: Light of Motiram. It’s touted as ‘legally distinct,’ but no one can ignore its striking resemblance to PlayStation’s beloved Horizon series. What’s the twist? This one’s an MMO, and for now, it’s only available on PC.
This unexpected news hit like a thunderbolt, catching everyone off guard. The detailed press release, shared via Gematsu, came with a slew of trailers, screenshots, and even a Steam page packed with information. The game will also roll out on the Epic Games Store, but for now, the pricing details or any hint of a free-to-play model remain under wraps.
So, move over, Palworld devs, because Light of Motiram might just take the mantle as the most talked-about IP “inspiration” of the moment. It’s hard not to picture Sony starting up the legal engines given the game’s strikingly familiar aesthetic and creature design—trust me, I had to do a double-take… or maybe even a triple.
Here’s the primary teaser trailer for you to check out:
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Ironically, this announcement comes even before PlayStation has unveiled their online-exclusive Horizon game, which seems to be their big gamble in the increasingly tricky live-service market. We’ve learned from Palworld’s surprising popularity that casual gamers are often more interested in a game’s fun factor than its originality. If Polaris Quest has nailed an engaging gameplay experience, this could be a problem for PlayStation’s live-service Horizon project, hinting that legal fireworks might be ahead.
In Light of Motiram, you’ll dive into a survival and crafting-centric adventure, riding the wave of today’s popular game trends. It borrows a page from Monster Hunter in its combat mechanics, an obvious choice to emulate Horizon’s epic battles against mechanical foes in a cooperative setting. I’d bet Guerrilla is eyeing a similar approach for their long-teased Horizon project.
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Sure, this represents yet another hurdle for the Horizon franchise. Sony seems determined to leverage it as their next flagship series, despite the initial hype dwindling after each release. Competing launches have often overshadowed its debut, and Lego Horizon Adventures’ sales didn’t impress much on PC either.
The troubles extend to the small screen, with the planned Netflix live-action Horizon series hitting a standstill. Both PlayStation Studios and Netflix have pressed pause on the project due to a “toxic work environment” reportedly fostered by showrunner Steve Blackman of Umbrella Academy fame. Yikes, indeed.
