China executes former Yoozoo Games executive for poisoning billionaire founder

China has executed Xu Yao, former head of film production at Yoozoo Games, after he was convicted of poisoning company founder and billionaire Lin Qi in 2020. Lin Qi was also the producer of the hit series 'The Three-Body Problem'.

China has carried out the execution of Xu Yao, a former senior executive at Chinese gaming and app developer Yoozoo Games, following his conviction for the murder of the company's billionaire founder Lin Qi. The case, which attracted significant international attention, concluded with the death penalty being enforced, according to BBC News.

Xu Yao had served as the head of film production at Yoozoo Games before being arrested in connection with the poisoning of Lin Qi in late 2020. Lin Qi, who founded the Shanghai-based company, was also widely known as the producer behind the acclaimed science fiction television adaptation of «The Three-Body Problem», based on Liu Cixin's celebrated novel trilogy.

Lin Qi died in December 2020 after falling critically ill. Chinese authorities subsequently arrested Xu Yao and charged him with deliberately poisoning his superior. The case drew widespread media coverage both in China and abroad, partly due to Lin Qi's prominence in the entertainment and gaming industries.

Yoozoo Games is one of China's notable gaming companies, known for titles including «Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming». Lin Qi had been instrumental in bringing the globally recognised «Three-Body Problem» science fiction saga to screen, a project that later gained further international recognition through a Netflix adaptation.

Capital punishment remains a legal penalty in China and is applied in cases of murder, among other serious crimes. The execution of Xu Yao marks the final chapter in a case that shocked China's tech and entertainment sectors.