Tencent Games is being accused of blatantly ripping off Horizon Zero Dawn in its recently announced game, Light of Motiram. The game is being developed by Polaris Quest, a subsidiary of Tencent Games. Gamers around the world have taken notice of the astounding similarities the upcoming title has. Even just looking at the cover art helps their claim have power. However, the copycat evidence gets even stronger when you watch the trailer and read the description of the game. The similarities are truly shocking.
What exactly does Light of Motiram rip from Horizon Zero Dawn? Well, the answer, unfortunately, is astoundingly a lot. With only a trailer, a few screenshots, a description on Steam, and a bit of gameplay, the true length of this copycat game is yet to be seen. However, from what we know so far, the similarities can be broken down into two categories: setting and style. With these similarities seen almost instantly by people who have not played Horizon Zero Dawn, they can easily be called purposeful. It even appears to copy other games, but for now, we’ll focus on one.
The first sentence of the official description on Steam may sound familiar. It reads, “Earth and human civilization as we once knew it are gone. Across untamed wilderness, giant mechanical beasts roam freely, while humanity struggles to rebuild from the dawn of a new primitive era.” This setting is the same as the one found in Horizon Zero Dawn. It seems Tencent didn’t even try to make it original. Yes, it’s not unheard of for games to have similar settings. Survival games with zombies come to mind there. However, with how unique the Horizon games are, it wouldn’t have been difficult to have a world with mechanical animals and still set Light of Motiram apart from its copied predecessor.
The only true way that the setting of Tencent’s upcoming game may be different is if it doesn’t take place in the United States. It could easily take place on another planet or a different continent. Still, this difference wouldn’t change the fact that the game is a blatant rip-off. The fact that the game can be played with friends doesn’t change much either. Sadly, this isn’t where the clear “inspiration” ends.
Just looking at the screenshots and the trailer for Light of Motiram for a few seconds is enough to see that it’s meant to look like the Horizon games. This can be seen in the mechanic creatures, environments, and clothes that the player character wears. Speaking of how characters look, the one on the cover art for the game is designed in a way that tries to copy Aloy, the main character of the Horizon games. Tencent could have given the character’s hair any color but red to avoid this accusation.
The similarities don’t end at in-game and cover art graphics, though. The very font used for Light of Motiram tries to copy Horizon‘s font as well. Even though it isn’t an exact copy, the similarities are there. The same can be said about the music that played during the trailer. Inspiration from Horizon Zero Dawn‘s OST is audible even if you’ve only been exposed to it through a trailer and not the actual game.
The reaction stemming from fans of the Horizon games and everyone who sees a rip-off when they see one has been nothing short of amusing. I’ve seen comments under the reveal trailer call the game insulting names like “Horizon Zero Shame: Forbidden East” and “Horizon: Ark Hunter’s Destiny.” Their insults continue under the 16 minutes of gameplay that have been revealed.
Speaking of that gameplay, it shows that the game may be ripping off more games than what the trailer showed off. They accuse the game of copying things from Ark: Survival Evolved, Palworld, and Monster Hunter. Some are even accusing the mount summoning in the game of copying Elden Ring. After watching the gameplay footage multiple times, I wholeheartedly agree with their accusations. While trying to take the setting and style from Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s actually a collection of copied content from several beloved games. The true length of that sentiment might just remain a mystery until the game’s full release.
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Following the selections of tight end Colston Loveland in the first round and wide receiver Luther Buden III in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it seemed that the idea of Keenan Allen’s return to the Chicago Bears for the upcoming season was dead. Last year, the Bears traded a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for Allen to come to Chicago on the final season of his contract. Allen said he planned to choose between the Bears and a team in Los Angeles during free agency this offseason. The Bears are looking for a wide receiver No team has signed the veteran receiver. Allen is coming off a season where he recorded 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. The Bears signaled they’re not done looking for wide receiver help before training camp practice begins on Wednesday. On Monday, reports surfaced that Chicago visited with former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver DJ Chark. Chark met with the Bears NFL.com's Christian Gonzales suggested that Chark could be available for the Chargers after Mike Williams announced his retirement from the league last week. “There is an opening for Chark to pursue a possible reunion with the Chargers after veteran wide receiver Mike Williams informed the team this week that he is retiring from the NFL," wrote Gonzales. “Only time will tell if Chark gets a call from the Bolts or another team in search of a crafty veteran wideout. If he does, Chark says he’s still staying in shape.” Allen’s name immediately came up as an option for the Chargers when Williams’ announcement became public. If the Chargers decide to give quarterback Justin Herbert a familiar pass catcher by signing Chark, it would make sense for Allen to be in the mix to join the Bears in 2025. After all, the Bears let the league and Allen’s agent know they’re looking for a veteran receiver.
Caitlin Clark might be the most popular figure in women's basketball right now, but she continues to draw shots left and right, both on and off the court. The Iowa product has stayed even keeled and mostly unrattled, but that doesn't mean she won't fight back. That's why, in the light of Kelsey Plum's recent comments, she decided to take matters into her own hands and clapped back at her with a simple, six-word message. Plum shared a picture of her during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, which showed half of a Nike logo in the background. Clark was quick to spot it and just wrote "Thank u for the Nike ad." This happened just hours after Plum seemingly took a shot at Clark and her Team Clark teammates for reportedly not getting involved in their pre-game protest. “The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum revealed. “That really needed to be mentioned,” Sabrina Ionescu added while both laughed. WNBA All-Stars warmed up with a T-Shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us,' ahead of their new CBA agreement, which is expected to be signed in the offseason. WNBA players get around 9 percent of the league's revenue, and they're asking for a bigger share since most of them also have to play overseas during the offseason because of the salary disparity. Plum is the vice president of the WNBPA, so it's not surprising to see her so involved in the protest and the demands. Then again, it's hard to understand the reasoning behind the tattle telling, as not only does it show that there might not be a united front ahead of these negotiations, but it also drives attention away from where it should be.
The New York Giants were routinely linked with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Giants ultimately traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25. For a piece published on Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News revisited how Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ended up with Dart instead of Sanders earlier this year. "Members of the Giants’ staff had fawned over Shedeur Sanders," Leonard wrote. "Giants brass had spent a lot more time with Sanders during the fall. Then, Daboll’s increased participation after the NFL season steered the process in a different direction." Sanders allegedly had a rough visit with Daboll ahead of the draft, and a report from early May revealed that "Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn't hit it off with Giants coaches." A different story claimed that Schoen "shifted his preference to Dart this spring as head coach Brian Daboll warmed to Dart as a player and person and Schoen rounded out his own evaluation" before the draft got underway. That said, Schoen raised some eyebrows when he said during a May interview that he knew the club would select Dart over Sanders as of "the week of the draft." Schoen also said the decision was the result of a "collaborative process." According to Leonard, those comments were seen by some as "not exactly a firm endorsement of a player standing out above the rest" as it pertains to the quarterbacks. "...Schoen’s lukewarm rhetoric and reluctance to stick his neck out about Dart caught the attention of some people around the league," Leonard added. "And it has put the rookie in a strange position: trying to validate support that almost sounds conditional." Meanwhile, Sanders fell to the draft's fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at selection No. 144. As of Monday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders (+870 odds) and Dart (+1060 odds) as significant betting underdogs to serve as Week 1 starters in September. Cleveland is expected to go with Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett for its regular-season opener, while Russell Wilson is on track to start for the Giants against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. In short, fans may have to wait a long time to learn if Schoen has any buyer's remorse about possibly being talked into drafting Dart when Sanders was on the board.
CBS Sports had a fun and valid exercise, evaluating the top QB-RB-WR triplets in the NFL. And it ended up becoming a perfect representation of what the Green Bay Packers offense is and what it can be in 2025—and beyond. The combination of Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, and Jayden Reed was 14th in the league. You can disagree here and there, but overall it's a fair projection based on what these three players and his counterparts have shown in the NFL. But there's more intriguing elements. The highest vote for the Packers was fifth, and the lowest was 19th. That shows a high level of variance—and it can become even bigger depending on how first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden plays as a rookie. "Green Bay was actually the team with the most variance and widest disparity in rankings, which feels fitting. This team is kind of a Rorschach test. You can ascribe any belief to what happened with Jordan Love and Co. last season and have it seem right. Love struggled with injuries. Jacobs went nuts. The receivers ... were all just kind of there and vaguely productive some weeks and very much not in others. It's really hard to know what to do with this group, given how 2024 went. Still, there's a lot of belief in Love's talent and Jacobs' production, so they crack the top half of the league." — Jared Dubin. Arguments for it to be better (or not) It's curious how the Packers have been perceived this offseason. Quarterback Jordan Love wasn't in the top 10 on ESPN's rankings, the offensive line was 14th in PFF's model, and now the skill position triplet is also 14th. Somehow, Matt LaFleur didn't make the list of top 10 returning head coaches according to PFF. Something's gotta give. Last year, Green Bay was fourth in offensive DVOA and third in passing DVOA. It's hard to understand how a non-top 10 QB, non-top 10 HC, the 14th offensive line, and the 14th skill position triplet would join forces to make it one of the best offenses in football. That being said, this is the part of the rankings where there's a better argument for the Packers to not be that good. LaFleur is clearly a top 10 coach, Love has had top 10 production as a quarterback despite handling injuries in 2024, and the offensive line was top 5 in pass blocking last year. While Love is a borderline top 10 QB and Josh Jacobs is certainly a top 10 running back, the lack of a premier wide receiver affects the overall perception. The power of a top wide receiver The teams ahead of Green Bay have Ja'Marr Chase, AJ Brown, Zay Flowers, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashee Rice, Khalil Shakir, Puka Nacua, George Kittle, Mike Evans, CeeDee Lamb, Nico Collins, Terry McLaurin, and Ladd McConkey. You could make a case that Jayden Reed may be better than Flowers, Rice, and Shakir. But do you see the common theme here? Their quarterbacks are Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen. Nevertheless, the situation could be much different a year from now. If Jordan Love has a healthy season and can play like he did down the stretch in 2023, and if Matthew Golden establishes himself as a promising receiving weapon as a rookie, the Packers could jump several spots—and consolidate themselves as a top offense in the NFL.