Former miHoYo staff members sentenced to prison for bribery and embezzlement

Genshin Impact developer miHoYo has confirmed that four former employees have been sentenced to prison following bribery and embezzlement investigations.

The company behind games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero said the cases were uncovered through an internal investigation aimed at maintaining a “fair, honest, and transparent business environment.”

According to the translated statement, four employees were found to have abused their positions to solicit commissions and accept bribes from partner companies.

Four miHoYo employees have been sent to prison

“After trial, the four were found guilty of accepting bribes as non-state personnel,” miHoYo said. One was sentenced to one year and four months in prison, two received one year and three months, and another was sentenced to six months in prison.

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,” calling it a serious conflict of interest.

The company said it has transferred related leads to public security authorities for further investigation.

“miHoYo maintains a ‘zero-tolerance’ attitude towards commercial bribery, embezzlement, and other fraudulent activities,” reads the statement, adding that anyone found engaging in such conduct will be permanently barred from employment.

The developer confirmed that suppliers connected to the cases have been added to a fraud blacklist and will never cooperate with the company again. MiHoYo also revealed that they will continue to strengthen anti-fraud measures and cooperate with judicial authorities to pursue legal responsibility where criminal activity is suspected.