Authorities in Taipei have executed a man convicted of using poison to kill a billionaire gaming tycoon linked to the Netflix adaptation of The Three-Body Problem over a professional dispute, local media reported.
Xu Yao was found guilty of killing Lin Qi, the founder of the Shanghai-based Yoozoo Games, which holds the film adaptation rights for the blockbuster science-fiction trilogy known by the title of its first book, The Three-Body Problem.
The sci-fi trilogy, by Chinese author Liu Cixin, has been translated into more than 40 languages and adapted into television and game productions including Netflix’s popular 3 Body Problem series released in 2024.
Xu, the former head of a subsidiary of Yoozoo Games, poisoned Lin in December 2020 over being sidelined by the founder shortly after Xu helped his superior land the Netflix deal, local media reported.
Xu was convicted in 2024 and executed on May 21, according to local media reports on Tuesday.
Lin’s company confirmed the execution in a statement on the Weibo social media platform.
“Recently, the case concerning Lin Qi, the founder of Three-Body Universe, has finally reached its conclusion, and justice has ultimately been served,” the statement read.
“All of us at the company are deeply grateful for the upholding of justice,” it continued.
Yoozoo Games did not immediately respond to a request for additional comments. — Reuters
