Corruption charges rock NetEase Games: Key figures fired and investigation launched

NetEase Games fired nine employees due to their alleged involvement in bribery and money laundering. The game studio launched an investigation into a fraud case estimated at one billion yuan. The case marks NetEase’s second internal anti-corruption probe since 2023 and has been forwarded to the police for further investigation.

NetEase Games is the online subsidiary of NetEase Inc. and has published popular titles such as Once Human, Knives Out, Marvel: Rivals and Destiny, and Harry Potter: Magic and Awakened.

Over the last few years, the Chinese studio has intensified crackdowns on employees who violate company policies. The company has previously fired staff in cases of alleged bribery and corruption.

NetEase Games takes decisive action against corruption

An internal memo circulated to the staff confirmed that the company had dismissed nine staff members over alleged bribery. The fired staff members included two executives: the company’s general manager in charge of marketing, Xiang Lang, and NetEase’s esports lead, Jin Yuchen.

The company’s internal anti-corruption department apprehended Xiang Lang for investigation. Lang oversaw the Chinese game company’s publishing relations with third-party titles, while Yuchen was in charge of publishing platforms for NetEase Unit Interactive group.

The arrests were related to a fraud case with a contract worth approximately 2 billion yuan. The actual amount of cash involved was estimated to be between 800 million yuan ($111.44 million/ £86 million) and 1 billion yuan ($139.3 million/ £107.5 million).

The case is reported to have affected 28 suppliers of the second-largest Chinese game company. The other staff implicated in the case were part of Lang’s channel center and were in charge of purchasing traffic for many of the gaming company’s top products.

Lang’s arrest was made after he was “lured into a trap” by the investigators, just like Lilith Games’ arrest of Amy Liu.

The Chinese company changed the location of the weekly Wednesday marketing meetings typically held in Guangzhou to Hangzhou. Upon reaching the new location, Xiang Lang and the other staff members were detained, and the case was forwarded to the police for further investigation.

According to Leifeng.com, some staff members were released, and one of them even declared their innocence on social media. The nine staff members implicated in the case were removed from NetEase’s NetEase’s internal system. 

NetEase heightens internal compliance following scandal

The arrest of Lang and the other eight NetEase Games staff members is the Chinese video game company’s second internal anti-corruption investigation since September 2023. NetEase Games is in line with trends in China, which has seen companies such as Tencent crack down on policy violations.

The NetEase investigations involved both internal audits and cooperation with law enforcement to address misconduct, typically linked to bribery, fraud, and misuse of company funds.

The Chinese video game company’s response to the case extended beyond dismissals and arrests. The Chinese gaming company changed its internal systems and updated its company policy to reinforce compliance and discourage unethical behavior among staff.

Several NetEase employees reported that their company computer screensavers had been updated to display compliance promotional materials. Their screensavers were replaced with messaging that highlighted six elements promoting compliance about procurement, transparency, information confidentiality, and separation of duties.