The CEO of NetEase Games, the studio that developed Diablo Immortal, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, has been arrested on suspicion of money laundering. This was reported by EuroGamer.
In addition to CEO Xiang Lang, Jin Yucheng, head of NetEase's esports division, and several other employees who did not hold senior positions were also detained.
The studio is currently developing mobile versions of Destiny: Rising for Sony-owned Bungie and Marvel Rivals for Marvel Entertainment. In an internal memo to staff, the company announced that it had fired a total of nine employees on suspicion of bribery. The case is believed to involve 28 suppliers of the Chinese mega-corporation, totaling about one billion yuan (USD 139.3 million).
This is reportedly the second internal anti-corruption investigation organized by NetEase since September 2023. A NetEase spokesperson said that the police are investigating the corruption allegations but are not disclosing details at this time.