A man has been executed by Chinese authorities following the killing of his billionaire employer. The conflict arose regarding how Netflix’s 3 Body Problem television series was managed.
A death sentence was handed to Xu Yao for poisoning Lin Qi, the founder of the Chinese gaming company Yoozoo Games. The method involved fake probiotic capsules filled with a highly toxic mercury compound.
Prior to the incident, both individuals worked as colleagues at Yoozoo. They collaborated during the release of the company’s Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming mobile game.
Beyond gaming, Yoozoo holds the film and television rights for the Chinese science fiction novel Remembrance of Earth’s Past. International viewers recognise this story as 3 Body Problem. Lin Qi received a posthumous executive producer credit for the initial season of the Netflix adaptation. That high budget production was helmed by former Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and launched in 2024.
Xu was first tasked with managing the franchise rights for 3 Body Problem. A disagreement subsequently resulted in Xu losing that position. Following his removal, Xu started providing Lin with poisoned probiotic supplements. Both Lin and his wife consumed the tainted pills.
Lin’s wife survived the poisonings, but Lin Qi passed away in a hospital in December 2020. Medical staff knew he had been poisoned. Xu was later arrested and received a death sentence following a trial in 2024. Authorities executed that sentence last week.
Yoozoo released a statement regarding the execution, as reported by BBC News. The company said:
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… Justice has ultimately been served.
The Netflix series 3 Body Problem will broadcast its second season later this year. A third and final season has also been approved.
