SHANGHAI, China — Chinese authorities have executed Xu Yao, a former executive convicted of poisoning Lin Qi, the billionaire gaming entrepreneur whose company was connected to Netflix’s adaptation of “The 3-Body Problem,” according to local media reports.
Xu was executed on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after being convicted in 2024 of killing Lin, the founder of Yoozoo Games, a Shanghai-based gaming company that held the screen adaptation rights to Liu Cixin’s acclaimed science-fiction trilogy.
Local outlets, including Yicai Global, reported the execution on Tuesday, May 27, 2026.
Yoozoo Games confirmed the conclusion of the case in a statement posted on Weibo, China’s social media platform.
“Recently, the case concerning Mr. Lin Qi, the founder of Three-Body Universe, has finally reached its conclusion, and justice has ultimately been served,” the company said.
“All of us at the company are deeply grateful for the upholding of justice,” it added.
Yoozoo Games did not immediately respond to a request for further comment, according to the report.
The Shanghai High People’s Court also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dispute Over Netflix Deal
Xu, who had led a Yoozoo Games subsidiary, was found guilty of poisoning Lin in 2020 following a professional dispute.
According to local media reports, the conflict followed Xu’s involvement in helping Lin secure a deal connected to Netflix’s adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem.”
Xu was later sidelined by Lin, the reports said.
The trilogy, written by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, has been translated into more than 40 languages and adapted into television, gaming and other screen productions.
Netflix released its “3 Body Problem” series in 2024.
Poisoning Plot
Local media reported that Xu spent hundreds of thousands of yuan buying highly toxic substances online, including alpha-amanitin, a lethal compound found in some poisonous mushrooms.
The reports said he concealed the substances in probiotic pills, coffee capsules, water containers and whiskey bottles, which were then shared with Lin and other employees.
The Hollywood Reporter, citing local media, reported at the time that Lin was allegedly poisoned through a cup of tea.
Lin was taken to a hospital in December 2020 and died several days later. He was 39.
Several other people were also sickened but survived.
A Major Figure in Chinese Gaming
Lin had been one of China’s most prominent gaming entrepreneurs.
According to Hurun Report, which tracks the wealth of Chinese business figures, he ranked No. 870 among China’s richest entrepreneurs, with an estimated net worth of 6.8 billion yuan, or about $1 billion.
“The Three-Body Problem” has become one of China’s most internationally recognised science-fiction works.
Liu became the first Chinese writer to win the Hugo Award, the leading international prize in the genre.
In China, the works helped drive interest in science fiction across television, film, video games, publishing and public exhibitions.
After Lin’s death, the BBC reported that Yoozoo Games issued an emotional statement on Weibo.
“Goodbye youth,” the company said, adding: “We will be together, continue to be kind, continue to believe in goodness, and continue the fight against all that is bad.”
