The chief executive officer of the Chinese video-game publisher Yoozoo Games — Lin Qi — has passed away due to suspected poisoning. According to Bloomberg, Lin died on Christmas day Dec. 25, 2020, after being hospitalized for several days. The Chinese billionaire was 39-years-old at the time of his death. He took the world by storm with his gaming company.
Yoozoo — also known as Youzu Interactive Co. — confirmed the founder, chairman, and top shareholder death. According to the Shanghai Police Department, they have a person — only identified as Xu and suspected of poisoning Lin — detained as a suspect. The suspect is a co-worker of Lin’s and authorities have not released much information about him.
Lin founded Yoozoo in 2009 and successfully guided the company through the trying period where the gaming industry turned to mobile. In an emotional tribute the company stated:
Goodbye youth, We will be together, continue to be kind, continue to believe in goodness, and continue the fight against all that is bad.
The billionaire was an avid poet and calligrapher. Many people paid tribute to him with their own calligraphy. It is believed he had a net worth of around 6.8 billion yuan which is equivalent to $1,040,216,604 U.S.
According to Yoozoo, he admitted himself into the hospital on December 17. Chinese local media states the suspect’s name is Xu Yao who leads Yoozoo’s movie production branch. Current speculation of the billionaire’s death is that he was poisoned by Pu’er tea, a fermented Chinese drink.
Yoozoo is greatly known for its “Game of Thrones” games. They also co-produced the Chinese sci-fi novel “Three-Body Problem.” The company has also produced a few other movies, however, they were not successful. In September, the company granted Netflix the right to adapt the sci-fi novel for television.
The billionaire’s death is still being investigated.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
BBC: Game of Thrones games maker dies ‘after poisoning’; by Justin Harper
The Sun: Yoozoo Games CEO Lin, the young Chinese billionaire, dies at 39 amid a poisoning probe
News18: Shanghai Police Say Suspect Detained In Games Tycoon’s Death
Featured Image Courtesy of Joe Hart’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of James Kim’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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