Suspect detained in death of Chinese video-game tycoon

BEIJING —  Police in Shanghai say they have detained a suspect in the case of the death by possible poisoning of the billionaire founder of a Chinese video game company that’s known for a game based on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and that’s developing screen adaptations of the popular science fiction series “The Three-Body Problem.”

Lin Qi, 39, died Christmas Day after being hospitalized, according to his company, Yoozoo Games, also known as Youzu Interactive. A police statement said he was hospitalized Dec. 17 and diagnosed with possible poisoning, but it gave no other details.

The statement said a 39-year-old coworker, identified only by the surname Xu, has been detained in Lin’s death.

An employee in the Shanghai police’s press office said Monday that there was no additional information.

The business magazine Caixin, citing unidentified industry sources, said the suspect is an employee of Yoozoo’s film division and was working on “The Three-Body Problem.” The trilogy by author Liu Cixin is being developed into a series for Netflix by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners on “Game of Thrones.”

Yoozoo also is known for its game “Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming,” based on the popular TV series.

Lin ranked No. 870 among China’s richest entrepreneurs, with a net worth of 6.8 billion yuan ($1 billion), according to Hurun Report, which follows China’s wealthy.