Chinese authorities have executed a man who poisoned and killed a billionaire owner of a major Chinese gaming company six years ago due to dissatisfaction over his reduced role in the company.
On 26 May 2026 GMT+7, foreign news agencies reported that Chinese authorities executed Mr. Xu Yao, who poisoned and murdered Mr. Lin Qi, billionaire and owner of the well-known Chinese gaming company Yoozoo Games.
Local media reported that in 2020, Xu Yao poisoned Lin Qi out of resentment after Lin reduced his role in the company, despite Xu having recently helped Lin secure a film adaptation deal with Netflix.
Lin's company Yoozoo Games holds the rights to adapt a Chinese science fiction trilogy into films, which Netflix later turned into the series 3 Body Problem.
Xu was convicted in 2024, and his execution, reported to have taken place on 21 May, was confirmed last Tuesday by Yoozoo Games in a statement declaring, "Justice has finally been served."
The statement added, "We deeply mourn Mr. Lin and sincerely extend our condolences to his family. As colleagues who stood shoulder to shoulder with him, every member of the company appreciates the fairness of the justice process."
The 3 Body Problem trilogy is based on the Remembrance of Earth's Past book series by Chinese author Liu Cixin. Originally published in Chinese, it has been translated into nearly 30 languages and inspired numerous adaptations.
The Netflix adaptation in 2024 quickly became one of the platform's most-watched series. Lin was honored posthumously as an Executive Producer on the show.
Lin's death shocked the gaming industry in China and abroad. He founded Yoozoo Games, a Shanghai-based developer best known for the strategy game Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming.
Back in 2018, Lin appointed Xu as an executive of Three-Body Universe, a subsidiary managing projects related to the science fiction franchise. However, local reports indicate a conflict arose in 2020 when Lin assigned other executives to oversee business operations instead.
Subsequently, Xu disguised a potent poison as probiotic pills and gave them to Lin, causing illness that led to Lin's hospitalization in December 2020. Lin died nine days later at age 39.
Police arrested Xu just days after Lin was hospitalized. Besides Lin's death, Xu's poisoning attempt also sickened several others who were inadvertently affected.
Source:bbc