A number of NetEase Games employees have reportedly been arrested on charges of bribery and money laundering.
As picked up by Chinese site Leifeng.com and reported by Bloomberg Law, NetEase Games’ general manager, Xiang Lang, was detained along with NetEase’s esports lead, Jin Yuchen, and several other staff on anti-corruption charges.
In an internal memo to staff, NetEase Games – which develops Marvel Rivals and Destiny: Rising – announced it has since dismissed a total of nine staff for alleged bribery. It’s thought the case impacts 28 suppliers to the Chinese megacorp in a case worth roughly one billion yuan – that’s £107.5 million / $139.3 million.
The names of those implicated have seemingly been removed from NetEase’s internal systems and shortly after the arrests, staff still employed at the studio reported that their usual computer screensavers had been replaced by reminders of NetEase’s compliance protocols.
This is reportedly the second internal anti-corruption investigation NetEase has organised since September 2023.
A NetEase spokesperson said police were now investigating alleged corruption charges but would not disclose more details at this time.