The president of a Chinese gaming company affiliated with Netflix that was poisoned this month died – and a co-worker remains the prime suspect in the shocking case, according to reports.
Yoozoo Group chief Lin Qi – executive producer of the streaming giant’s adaptation of The Three-Body Problem series of Chinese science fiction books – was first hospitalized on December 16.
Chinese media identified a senior Yoozoo executive, Xu Yao, as Lin’s target after an internal dispute within the rising company.
Now in custody, Xu headed the company’s film and television division and was chosen to oversee all projects related to the Three Body Problem.
Yoozoo – who owns the production rights for the books – initially sought to produce adaptations for films and games in the series, but these projects failed before the company entered into a partnership with Netflix.
Shanghai police began investigating the case after hospital officials alerted them to Qi disease and suspected poisoning.
“After the call, the police started an investigation. According to on-the-spot investigations and other interviews, the police found that a suspect with the surname Xu, who is a co-worker of victim Lin, was the most likely perpetrator of the crime, ”according to a post on the department’s social networks. “Suspect Xu has been arrested and investigations are continuing.”
Lin, 39, was reportedly poisoned after drinking a compromised cup of tea, according to reports.
He was working with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss to develop the highly anticipated project.
Written by acclaimed Chinese author Liu Cixin, The Three-Body series has emerged as a best-selling global phenomenon and has won a number of high-profile awards.
Primarily a game developer, Yoozoo is also producing a Game of Thrones-based video game.
The company’s shares fell by up to 18 percent after Lin’s initial hospitalization.