Nearly four years after the sudden, shocking death of iconic Chinese gaming billionaire Lin Qi, the man convicted of his murder has been executed, closing a high-profile case that sent ripples through the global entertainment and gaming industries.
Xu Yao, a former lawyer who once worked closely with Lin on high-stakes media projects, was put to death on May 21 following his 2024 death sentence handed down by the Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court. The court had previously labeled Xu’s premeditated crime as “extremely despicable”, and Yoozoo Games, Lin’s eponymous company, officially confirmed the execution in a public statement released this Tuesday.
The tragic chain of events that ended Lin’s life at 39 traces back to a bitter professional falling out in 2020. Just after Xu helped Lin secure a landmark adaptation deal with streaming giant Netflix for Liu Cixin’s globally beloved *Remembrance of Earth’s Past* (better known as *The Three-Body Problem*), Lin made the decision to reassign core business leadership responsibilities of the franchise subsidiary to other executives, sidelining Xu. Bitter and resentful over the shift, Xu hatched a lethal plot: he disguised a toxic substance as over-the-counter probiotic supplements and gave them to Lin.
Lin began feeling unwell in early December 2020 and sought medical care, but he died nine days after being admitted. At the time of his death, the Hurun China Rich List estimated his net worth at approximately 6.8 billion yuan, equal to around $941 million. Police took Xu into custody just days after Lin was hospitalized. Investigations also revealed that Xu’s poisoning scheme did not end with Lin: several other colleagues who came into contact with the toxic substances also fell ill, though none suffered fatal injuries.
Lin founded Yoozoo Games, a Shanghai-based gaming development studio that rose to international prominence with its hit strategy title *Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming*. Beyond gaming, Lin pivoted to expanding intellectual property rights for major science fiction properties, and in 2018 he tapped Xu to head Three-Body Universe, the dedicated subsidiary created to manage all projects tied to the *Three-Body* franchise. The company secured the film and television adaptation rights for Liu Cixin’s trilogy, and ultimately struck the deal with Netflix that led to 2024’s breakout hit series adaptation of *3 Body Problem*. The series quickly became one of the streaming platform’s most-watched original releases of the year, and Lin was posthumously credited as an executive producer for his foundational work bringing the project to life.
In this week’s statement confirming Xu’s execution, Yoozoo Games offered a formal reflection on the case: “Justice has ultimately been served. We deeply mourn Mr. Lin and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. As colleagues who fought alongside him, all members of the company are grateful for the impartiality of the judicial process.”
One of the non-fatal victims of Xu’s poisoning also shared a reaction with Chinese publication *Economic Observer*, writing on social media that “Justice comes in the end, even if it’s late”. Lin’s sudden death in 2020 sent shockwaves through the global gaming and entertainment sectors, where he was widely recognized as a visionary entrepreneur who bridged Chinese creative IP and global audiences.