Hey, guess what? There’s a new game clone on the block that’s already sparking talk of legal troubles. Tencent Games and its offshoot, Polaris Quest, just rolled out Light of Motiram, which heavily borrows from PlayStation’s Horizon series, but they claim it’s “legally distinct.” What sets it apart is that it’s an MMO designed solely for PC—for the moment, anyway.
This announcement hit the gaming world unexpectedly, accompanied by a detailed press release from Gematsu, along with trailers, screenshots, and a Steam page loaded with information. It’s also going to be available on the Epic Games Store. However, they’re still mum on whether it’ll be free-to-play or come with a price tag.
Now, if you’re a developer at Palworld, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Light of Motiram seems set to draw the kind of comparisons that have everyone pointing fingers at intellectual property rip-offs. It’s tough to envision a scenario where Sony isn’t readying its legal team as we speak. The game’s aesthetics and creature design look strikingly familiar—too familiar, in fact—and one peek had me doing more than a double take.
Check out the teaser trailer below to see what I mean:
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Interestingly, this debut comes before PlayStation has even rolled out its own online-only Horizon project, which seems to be their big gamble in the live-service arena that’s already been causing them a lot of stress. The preliminary success of Palworld shows that some players don’t really mind if a game seems to borrow, as long as it delivers fun. Should Polaris Quest manage to nail a compelling gameplay experience, it could be problematic for PlayStation and Guerrilla’s upcoming Horizon live-service game, which hints at a possible legal showdown.
Light of Motiram is marketing itself with a focus on survival and crafting, which has been a goldmine lately. The combat, closely resembling Monster Hunter’s style, makes sense if they’re aiming to replicate Horizon’s machine battles in a cooperative way. I’d bet that’s probably what Guerrilla is planning for their long-awaiting Horizons entry too.
Light of Motiram gameplay image
Horizon fans might view this as just another hiccup in the franchise’s rocky journey. While seemingly large enough for Sony to bank on as their major focus, the excitement dies out after initial launches. Its releases often get overshadowed by more buzz-worthy games, and the sales for Lego Horizon Adventures were lukewarm at best, especially on PC.
Even more so, the prospective live-action Horizon series on Netflix has stalled. PlayStation Studios and the streaming giant have, for now, halted the project, after reports painted a bleak picture of working conditions under showrunner Steve Blackman, known for The Umbrella Academy. Ouch.
