Lin Qi (Chinese: 林奇; name often styled in the media as Lynch) (1981 - 2020) was a Chinese entrepreneur who founded Yoozoo Games.^[1]

Born in Wenzhou, Zhejiang in 1981, to parents who were both involved in traditional manufacturing, Lin Qi developed a fondness for video games at an early age.^[2] After graduating from high school, he pursued studies in computer information management at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, graduating in 2004. After graduating, he worked as a software engineer for Zhejiang's China Telecom, and left in 2007, to become a partner in an online advertising agency.^[2]

In June 2009, he founded Yoozoo, focused on the creation and production of video games. The business experienced rapid expansion, establishing subsidiaries and affiliates, including Youzoo Interactive founded in 2015,^[3] and diversifying into fields such as television and film production.

In 2019, Yoozoo Games developed and published Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming, a multi-player online game,^[4] based on the eponymous HBO hit television series, which became itself a hit.^[5]

Soon after, Lin Qi was involved in the production of the Netflix science fiction series The 3 Body Problem,^[6] which is based on computer engineer and author Liu Cixin's award-winning Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy series of books.^[7]

According to the Hurun Report, Lin Qi had assets worth between 4.5 billion^[8] and 6.8 billion yuan,^[6] or, in 2024, between approximately $635mln to $575mln.

On 16 December 2020, Lin Qi reportedly felt unwell after getting off work. He sought medical treatment on his own but the next day went to a hospital. The hospital, after doctors determined that the patient had been poisoned, contacted the police who began an investigation. Executive producer of the 3 Body Problem Zhao Jilong and his wife were also poisoned but survived.

On 25 December 2020, Lin Qi died.^[9]

The police eventually arrested Xu Yao, a former Yoozoo Games executive, who was indicted for murder, tried, and, in 2024, found guilty and sentenced to death.^[6] His motive was a "dispute over running the business," according to the court's decision,^[7] while other sources assign it to Xu Yao getting a pay cut and being demoted on account of "poor work performance".^[10]