A Chinese gaming billionaire has died in hospital from what Shanghai police believe was a fatal poisoning delivered by a colleague.
Lin Qi, the founder of Chinese gaming giant Yoozoo, was hospitalised on December 17 showing symptoms of being poisoned by tea, the South China Morning Post reports.
As Mr Lin, 39, struggled to recover, the case gripped fans and gamers on China’s social media networks.
Shanghai’s police said in statement a male colleague, identified only by his surname Xu, is the suspected to be the culprit.
Mr Lin, who is also a co-producer of Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Cixin Liu’s The Three-Body Problem, has a net worth estimated at 6.8 billion yuan (A$1.36 billion).
According to the South China Morning Post, the suspect in the crime is now being held by local authorities as investigations into Mr Lin’s death continue.
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Yoozoo is one of China’s most financially successful game publishers, according to local media.
Its most well-known game is Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, based on the hugely popular HBO series.
A crowd of employees and ex-employees gathered outside Yoozoo’s office to mourn Lin’s death.
A doctor surnamed Zhou, quoted by local media, said Mr Lin arrived at hospital earlier this month barely able to walk with a “very painful expression of acute illness” on his face.
Dr Zhou said Mr Lin’s heart stopped but he was resuscitated.
He remained in hospital for two further weeks, until he died on Christmas Day (local time).