Lin Qi, CEO of Yoozoo Games, Found Dead on Christmas Day, Suspected Poisoned

Following a self-admitted stay in hospital beginning on the 16th December, Lin Qi, the CEO of Chinese publisher Yoozoo Games, died on Christmas day, with poison being the suspected cause of death, according to Shanghai police.

Credit: Yoozoo Games

There appears to be no consensus regarding the exact nature of the poison; multiple reports cite the poison as having come from a cup of tampered-with pu-erh tea, but several other sources contradict this, citing medication or a "cocktail" of sources. A doctor attending to Qi before his death, surnamed Zhou, reportedly stated that Qi had eaten blueberries prior to falling ill, but continued by claiming that his symptoms were consistent with the effects of tetrodotoxin, a poison found in the deadly pufferfish.

Currently, one of Qi's colleagues, known as "Zu", is the prime suspect, with work disputes being presented as the motivation for the murder. Zu was detained by police on the 23rd December; investigations, however, continue to be carried out and the Chinese authorities have made no judgement.

Yoozoo games, Lin Qi's company, is known for the League of Angels series and publishing Supercell's Brawl Stars in the Chinese market. The company also created Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, a browser game based on the hit fantasy franchise.

On Christmas day, employees and ex-employees of Yoozoo Games gathered outside the company's HQ to mourn the unfortunate passing of their Lin Qi. Yoozoo Games has released no statement regarding the company's next steps going into 2021.