miHoYo just proved they’re not messing around when it comes to internal corruption. The developer behind Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero confirmed this week that four former employees have been sentenced to prison following court trials for bribery and embezzlement offenses.
The company dropped the hammer hard, making it crystal clear that anyone thinking about abusing their position for personal gain will face serious consequences, and potentially jail time.
The cases came to light through an internal investigation aimed at maintaining what miHoYo calls a “fair, honest, and transparent business environment.”
According to the official statement, the four employees abused their positions to solicit commissions and accept bribes from partner companies. After trial, all four were found guilty of accepting bribes as non-state personnel.
The sentences weren’t light either: one received one year and four months in prison, two got one year and three months, and another was sentenced to six months behind bars.
The supply chain shakedown
Three of the convicted employees worked in miHoYo’s supply and maintenance group, where they used their official positions to illegally extort commissions and kickbacks from partners.
Basically, they were playing the classic “pay to play” game with suppliers, demanding bribes in exchange for business deals. The fourth employee, who worked in the merchandise project management group, used his position to help several suppliers obtain illegal benefits while pocketing bribes for himself. That one got the six-month sentence.
But the cleanup didn’t stop there. miHoYo also dismissed another employee from the original Genshin Impact product marketing team after determining he had abused his role to seek benefits for his own company.
The conflict of interest was so severe that the guy was not only fired but also blacklisted by the Sunshine Integrity Alliance and Corporate Anti-Fraud Alliance, which means a lifetime ban on employment in the industry. He’s currently under criminal investigation, and the case is ongoing.
Zero tolerance policy in action
miHoYo’s statement made their position abundantly clear: “miHoYo maintains a ‘zero-tolerance’ attitude towards commercial bribery, embezzlement, and other fraudulent activities.”
Anyone found engaging in such conduct will be permanently barred from employment at the company. The developer also confirmed that suppliers connected to the cases have been added to a fraud blacklist and will never cooperate with the company again.
The company emphasized they will continue to strengthen anti-fraud measures and cooperate with judicial authorities to pursue legal responsibility where criminal activity is suspected.
This crackdown comes at a time when miHoYo is riding high as one of the most successful gaming companies in the world. In 2022, the Shanghai-based company posted revenue of 27.34 billion yuan ($3.8 billion USD) with a net profit of 16.15 billion yuan ($2.3 billion USD), driven primarily by the massive success of Genshin Impact, which has earned over $4 billion globally since its September 2020 launch.
With that kind of money flowing through the company, the temptation for internal corruption is real, but miHoYo just sent a clear message that they’re watching, and they’re not afraid to prosecute.
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