Sony Travelled to China to Discuss Mobile Adaptation of The Last of Us with Tencent

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Reports suggest Sony visited Shenzhen, China in July 2024 to explore creating a mobile version of The Last of Us with Aurora Studios, a Tencent company. This is the same studio that developed Light of Motiram, a game previously accused of being a copy of Horizon.

The Game Post recently published interesting details from new legal documents. These filings offer the first look at PlayStation’s PS Mobile division, led by Olivier Courtemanche (formerly of Zynga), which hasn’t released any games yet.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2024, Sony reportedly heard a pitch from Aurora Studios for a new Horizon game designed for mobile devices, as stated in a testimony by Courtemanche.

This project, which eventually became Light of Motiram, initially envisioned Aloy in an Asian-inspired world, featuring robots based on Chinese mythology.

Sony quickly turned down the project in April 2024, just a month after the GDC event. However, they revisited discussions with Aurora Studios in China again in July 2024.

Interestingly, Courtemanche and his team were led to believe they were going to Shenzhen to preview a mobile version of The Last of Us, but they were shown Horizon again instead.

Courtemanche is quoted as saying:

I remember seeing a presentation slide with a character dressed like Horizon’s – a blend of tribal and metal clothing – and a robotic creature similar to those in the Horizon game. After looking at the promotional materials for Light of Motiram, I’m convinced those images actually came from that game. I was confused because we had previously decided against a partnership with Horizon and thought the meeting was about The Last of Us and other possibilities.

Sony is clearly using this information as evidence in its dispute with Tencent, but it also reveals interesting details about PS Mobile, a project the company has been quietly developing for years.

Honestly, after hearing all this, I’m really wondering why the platform holder loved Aurora Studios’ pitch for *The Last of Us* but completely shut down their ideas for *Horizon*. It just seems so inconsistent, and I’m curious about the reasoning behind that difference.

Could it be because Korean studio NCSoft is reportedly working on a Horizon MMO?

Sony has reportedly been in talks with companies like Tencent about new mobile games, so why haven’t we heard about any confirmed projects? You’d think at least a few agreements would be public by now.

The company likely wanted to keep this information confidential, but as we’ve seen with similar legal battles – like Microsoft’s purchase of Activision – these cases often bring hidden details to light.

A mobile The Last of Us, eh? Now that’s interesting.

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2025-10-16 16:37