Nine employees from NetEase Games, a Chinese publisher and developer of various AAA games, have reportedly been fired after being arrested on bribery and money laundering charges. Among those arrested are two senior NetEase Games executive members, Xiang Lang and Jin Yuchen. NetEase Games is a well-known Chinese publisher and developer who previously worked with companies like Blizzard and Bungie for games like Diablo Immortal and Destiny: Rising on mobile. Some of the company's more recent output includes Marvel Rivals and Once Human.
NetEase was first founded in 1997 by Ding Lei, first as a technology company that then grew into other ventures like video games. This started in 2020 with the company establishing a video game division, acquiring developers like Grasshopper Manufacture and hiring major gaming industry veterans like former Sega employees Toshihiro Nagoshi and Daisuke Sato. Other studios like Spliced were also opened in 2023, founded by former Marvelous vice president Toshinori Aoki and BlazBlue creator Toshimichi Mori. Amid its rapid growth, a few employees of NetEase were recently a part of an investigation, including two senior members of the company.
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, the 2021 mobile game from NetEase, is the latest victim of an...
