Sony and Tencent Could Have Made a The Last of Us Game Together

The ongoing Sony vs. Tencent case over Light of Motiram has revealed some surprising details. According to new court documents, the Chinese tech giant once tried to pitch Sony a The Last of Us–inspired game after the company rejected an earlier Horizon proposal.

Tencent originally offered a collaboration on a project codenamed Project Z, inspired by Horizon Zero Dawn, which would later evolve into Light of Motiram. Sony formally declined the idea in April 2024, saying it wasn’t interested in licensing the IP. However, according to The Game Post, Tencent soon came back with a new proposal — this time centered around The Last of Us universe.

Olivier Courtemanche, Head of Mobile at PlayStation Studios, said that Sony’s team traveled to Shenzhen in the summer of 2024 expecting to discuss The Last of Us. Instead, developers from Aurora Studio (a Tencent subsidiary) showed a presentation once again featuring images and designs that resembled Horizon — despite the project having already been rejected.

Light of Motiram is now at the center of the legal dispute — Sony claims the game is such an obvious Horizon clone that fans themselves loudly pointed out the similarities.

The documents suggest there was indeed a brief moment when Tencent and Sony might have worked together on a The Last of Us project. But instead of collaboration around Naughty Dog’s iconic franchise, the story ended in conflict and a lawsuit.