Lin Qi (entrepreneur)
Lin Qi (Chinese: 林奇; name often styled in the media as Lynch) (1981 - 2020) was a Chinese entrepreneur who founded Yoozoo Games.[1]
Early life[edit]
Born in Wenzhou, Zhejiang in 1981, to parents who were both in traditional manufacturing, Lin Qi was fond of video games from an early age.[2] After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications to study computer information management and graduated in 2004. After graduating, he worked as a software engineer for Zhejiang's China Telecom, and left in 2007, to become a partner in an online advertising agency.[2]
Yoozoo[edit]
In June 2009, he founded Yoozoo, a company to create and produce video games. The business expanded rapidly, through subsidiaries and affiliates, such as Youzoo Interactive, founded in 2015, [3] to fields such as television and film producing.
In 2019, Yoozoo Games developed and published Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, a multi-player online game,[4] based on the eponymous HBO hit television series, which became itself a hit.[5]
Soon after, Lin Qi was involved in the production of the Netflix science fiction series The 3 Body Problem,[6] which is based on computer engineer and author Liu Cixin's award-winning Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy series of books.[7]
According to the Hurun Report, Lin Qi had assets worth between 4.5 billion[8] and 6.8 billion yuan,[6] or, in 2024, between approximately $635mln to $575mln.
Death[edit]
On 16 December 2020, Lin Qi reportedly felt unwell after getting off work. He sought medical treatment on his own but the next day went to a hospital. The hospital, after doctors determined that the patient had been poisoned, contacted the police who began an investigation. Executive producer of the 3 Body Problem Zhao Jilong and his wife were also poisoned but survived.
On 25 December 2020, Lin Qi died.[9]
The police eventually arrested Xu Yao, a former Yoozoo Games executive, who was indicted for murder, tried, and, in 2024, found guilty and sentenced to death.[6] His motive was a "dispute over running the business," according to the court's decision,[7] while other sources assign it to Xu Yao getting a pay cut and being demoted on account of "poor work performance".[10]
References[edit]
- ^ Mozur, Paul; Chen, Elsie (31 December 2020). "A Sci-Fi Dreamer's Poisoning Death Shocks China". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b Hanafee, Orlando (2022). "From the "bad kid" to the online game industry Qitian sage after 80 entrepreneurship story". Vocal media. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Youzu Interactive Co. Ltd". The Wall Street Journal. 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Teh, Kelvin (21 January 2023). "8 Games that You Didn't Know Were from Chinese Developers". OffGamers Blog. Archived from the original on 2023-09-02. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Davidson, Helen (28 December 2020). "Game of Thrones video game tycoon dies in suspected poisoning". The Guardian. Taipei. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Former gaming executive sentenced to death in poisoning of billionaire Netflix producer in China". CBS News. Associated Press. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ a b Friel, Mikhaila (2 April 2024). "The executive on Netflix's '3 Body Problem' who murdered its super-rich producer practiced by poisoning cats and dogs". Business Insider. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Harper, Justin (28 December 2020). "Game of Thrones games maker dies 'after poisoning'". BBC. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Westcott, Ben (29 December 2020). "Police investigating suspected poisoning of billionaire game tycoon Lin Qi after Christmas Day death". CNN. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Pierson, David (1 April 2024). "The Bizarre Chinese Murder Plot Behind Netflix's '3 Body Problem'". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 April 2024.