China executes man for killing billionaire in row over Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’

Xu Yao was executed by Chinese authorities after he bought poison online and killed gaming tycoon Lin Qi in a dispute over blockbuster science-fiction trilogy ‘3 Body Problem’

A man has been executed in China for poisoning a billionaire gaming tycoon in a dispute involving the Netflix adaptation of ‘3 Body Problem’.

Chinese authorities executed Xu Yao after he was convicted of using highly toxic substances to kill gaming tycoon Lin Qi in a professional dispute, local media reported Tuesday.

Lin Qi is 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’.

Created by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, the sci-fi trilogy 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.

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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.

He was convicted of the killing in 2024 and the Chinese government executed him on May 21, Chinese media said. Lin’s company confirmed the execution on Tuesday in a statement on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

“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 statement read. “All of us at the company are deeply grateful for the upholding of justice.”

Xu spent hundreds of thousands of yuan (tens of thousands of dollars) to buy highly toxic substances online, including alpha-amanitin, a lethal compound found in some poisonous mushrooms, local media reported.

He hid the poison inside probiotic pills, as well as put it inside coffee capsules, water containers and whisky bottles, which he then shared with Lin and other company employees.

Lin was rushed to hospital after he was taken ill in December 2020 but sadly died a few days later, he was aged 39. Several others fell sick but recovered, according to reports in the local press.

‘The Three-Body Problem’ series has been hugely popular both in China and abroad. Liu, its author, became the first Chinese writer to win the prestigious Hugo Award, the genre’s biggest prize.

Domestically, the works spurred the growth of a sci-fi industry spanning movies, video games, books, magazines and exhibits.