Remember that lawsuit Sony filed against Tencent, claiming their upcoming game, Light of Motiram, was a blatant rip-off of Horizon? Well, Tencent's not taking it lying down. They've officially responded, and it's pretty spicy.

Basically, Sony's argument was that Light of Motiram's red-haired protagonist, post-apocalyptic setting, and robotic enemies were all too similar to Horizon Zero Dawn. But Tencent is arguing that Sony doesn't have a monopoly on these common genre elements. They're saying Sony's trying to claim ownership over things that have been around in gaming for ages!

Tencent's response is a bit of an attack on Sony, actually. They're calling Sony's claims of originality "startling," which is a pretty bold statement. They even pointed out that Guerrilla Games, the developers of Horizon, admitted that the game's premise isn't entirely original, citing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West as an example. It's like they're saying, "Hey, even your own team admits this isn't brand new!"

The article goes on to mention a meeting where Tencent pitched a Horizon mobile game to Sony, which Sony turned down. Tencent claims this meeting has nothing to do with copyright infringement since no executives were present.

There's also a legal technicality. Tencent is arguing that Sony is suing the wrong companies. They claim that Light of Motiram is being developed by a different set of Tencent-owned studios. It's like saying, "You're suing the wrong people for this!"

Finally, Tencent points out that Light of Motiram isn't even coming out until 2027, so Sony's lawsuit is based on a game that isn't even finished yet. It's like suing someone for something they *might* do in the future. However, after the lawsuit started, Light of Motiram's Steam page was changed, with art and descriptions getting tweaked. Make of that what you will.

As a gamer, I'm always interested in these kinds of legal battles. It raises important questions about what constitutes a "rip-off" and how much originality is really possible in a world where everything feels like it's been done before. I'll be watching this one closely to see how it all plays out.