NetEase Games, the studio behind games like the upcoming Marvel Rivals and Destiny: Rising, is in trouble as some of its senior employees have been arrested for money laundering. Several news media outlets have reported that these employees have been held by NetEase’s internal team as the matter is still under investigation.
NetEase’s General Manager, Xiang Lang, was also among the arrested employees who reportedly tried to launder around 2 billion yuan, or $280 million while working at the studio. It has been confirmed that these employees are no longer associated with NetEase, and are all set to face strict legal action. This news comes just a few weeks before the release of NetEase’s latest game, Marvel Rivals.
NetEase Games’ Senior Employees Have Been Held For Money Laundering
As per Leifeng, some of the NetEase Games employees of the development team of Marvel Rivals and Destiny: Rising have been “taken away by NetEase’s internal anti-corruption department” as they are suspected to be involved in money laundering. The website has also revealed that “the contract value involved in this case is roughly 2 billion yuan,” (about $280 million), and the actual amount involved is estimated to be between 800 million and 1 billion yuan.
NetEase’s General Manager, Xiang Lang is also under investigation, plus, employees working under him are also accused of purchasing traffic for many of NetEase’s top products. The news outlet also confirmed that Lang, along with the other detained employees, have “no longer been found in NetEase’s internal system today.” Considering the amount of money involved, it’s safe to say that these employees will face strict action.
NetEase Games’ Forced Gamers To Give Marvel Rivals A Good Rating
NetEase Games’ latest video game, Marvel Rivals, is all set to release for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 6th, 2024. Earlier this year, many creators asked for key codes to gain access to the playtest, to which NetEase agreed but only on one condition: No negative reviews.
After streamer Brandon “Seagull” Larned criticized the agreement on X, NetEase Games announced that it is amending the contract. In an official statement provided to PCGamesN, the studio apologised for “inappropriate and misleading terms” and promised to work with content creators to come up with a better contract.
Obviously, this arrest of some its employees will affect Marvel Rivals, however, NetEase seems optimistic about the game’s future. The highly-anticipated 6v6 PvP, third-person hero shooter title will be free-to-play and is all set to feature 26 characters from Marvel Comics. NetEase Games has described the project as one of their “most ambitious game development projects.“
Do you think NetEase Games’ poor management of its employees will ruin Marvel Rivals? Share your opinions in the comments!
