As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming under my belt and a keen interest in the industry, I must say that the recent turn of events surrounding NetEase is nothing short of shocking. The allegations of money laundering and bribery, involving millions upon millions of dollars, have certainly cast a long shadow over one of the most prominent names in gaming today. Titles like “Once Human,” “Marvel Rivals,” and the upcoming “Destiny: Rising” are household names for many gamers, so it’s disheartening to see such an esteemed company embroiled in such controversy.
Following the revelation last week that NetEase employees were taken into custody for alleged money laundering and bribery, intriguing details about this puzzling criminal case in the contemporary gaming world have begun to surface.
The tale is gradually unfolding as pieces from multiple Chinese news sources fall into place, suggesting that we have approximately 9 arrests and an estimated $139 million in money laundering so far.
In recent times, NetEase has gained recognition through games such as “Once Human,” “Marvel Rivals,” and the forthcoming “Destiny: Rising.
According to Yicai Global and Leiphone, the marketing departments are at the center of the case.
Marketing manager Xiang Lang is allegedly involved in a money laundering operation, and some of his subordinates are currently being probed for buying online traffic to artificially inflate the popularity of NetEase’s products across various social media outlets.
As a gamer, I’ve come across news suggesting my involvement in a case along with ex-distribution and marketing director, Jin Yuchen. However, it’s important to note that the allegations involve around 27 businesses, but at this point, they haven’t been named publicly yet.
There’s ongoing debate over the precise amounts of money allegedly laundered by NetEase staff, with estimates varying from around 800 million yuan ($111 million) to as much as 2 billion yuan ($278 million).
According to Game Developer’s report, a commonly agreed-upon figure suggests it’s approximately 1 million yuan, which is roughly equivalent to $138.6 million.
It seems so far that most of the arrests have been concentrated within the marketing and distribution departments. This shouldn’t significantly slow down the speed at which new games are developed under the NetEase group.
It appears the company has been secretive regarding specifics, yet a leaked internal memo, as translated by Eurogamer, suggests that NetEase has dismissed nine staff members due to allegations of bribery.
To reinforce the importance of adherence to company policies, NetEase has updated their computer screensavers to display the company’s compliance guidelines.
Famous Gaming Arrests
In general, legal issues in the gaming industry usually involve players more often than game creators or developers.
In a significant international operation last year, individuals from a hacking collective responsible for the ransomware assault on Capcom in 2020 were apprehended across France, Spain, Czechia, and Latvia.
Concurrently, high-profile developers like the creator of Sonic, Yuji Naka, have been detained, with his arrest happening in 2022. The incident surrounding Naka was about insider trading of Square Enix stocks.
His initial detainment was due to buying shares worth $20,000 from the company, as he had prior knowledge about the upcoming Dragon Quest mobile game announcement.
Instead of taking the lesson to heart, Yuji Naka decided to invest approximately $830,000 in a company hired by Square Enix for the creation of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, even prior to its official unveiling.
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2024-11-11 20:38