Shanghai police say they have arrested a suspect in the case of death from possible poisoning of the billionaire founder of a Chinese video game company that produces films based on the popular science fiction novel “The Problem of the Three Bodies”. Lin Qi, 39, died on Christmas Day after being hospitalized, according to his company, Yoozoo Games Co., also known as Youzu Interactive.
A police statement said a 39-year-old co-worker, identified only by the surname Xu, was arrested. The statement said the victim was hospitalized on December 17 and diagnosed with possible poisoning, but gave no other details. The Hollywood Reporter, citing local media, reported that Lin was reportedly sick of a cup of poisoned tea.
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An official who answered the phone on Monday at the Shanghai police press office said there was no additional information to be released.
The business magazine Caixin, citing unidentified industry sources, said the suspect is an employee of the Yoozoo film division and was working on “The Three Body Problem”. This novel is being adapted as a Netflix series produced by the creators of “Game of Thrones” David Benioff and DB Weiss. Lin is listed as an executive producer on the series.
Yoozoo is also known for his game “Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming.”
Lin ranked 870th among China’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, with a net worth of 6.8 billion yuan ($ 1 billion), according to the Hurun Report, which tracks China’s wealthy.