Shanghai police have launched the city’s first criminal case against video game content leaks, arresting three suspects accused of posting unreleased material from popular games online. 

The leak, reported by domestic media on Friday, involves videos showing upcoming scenes and characters from games developed by miHoYo, including “Genshin Impact” and “Honkai: Star Rail,” two globally popular online games with millions of players worldwide. The leaked material was posted on Chinese streaming site BiliBili, private online groups, and a gaming wiki.

In China, gaming leaks have traditionally been handled through platform takedowns and account bans rather than criminal prosecution. The investigation signals a tougher approach to unauthorized distribution of game content. 

MiHoYo first reported the case to local authorities in October. Though the videos were taken down within days, they drew more than 100,000 views each, with total views exceeding 13 million. 

Police said the three suspects — all in their 20s — posted the content to attract traffic and earn in-game rewards. One suspect surnamed Zhou, identified as the original source of the leaks, has been detained. The other two, accused of reposting the videos, have been transferred to prosecutors on charges of copyright infringement. 

Zhou holds a doctoral degree in mathematics and is well known in gaming communities for his technical expertise. In February, miHoYo filed a lawsuit in the U.S. state of Georgia seeking to shut down the private wiki Zhou allegedly operated, which provided “Genshin Impact” tutorials and character guides.

“We just did this for fun,” Zhou told investigators. “We thought we would be fine as long as we deleted the videos after receiving warnings from the platforms.” 

In recent years, an increasing number of developers have turned to legal action to curb leaks. In 2024, a court in Chengdu, capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, sentenced a man to three years in prison and fined him 300,000 yuan ($43,600) for leaking future character skins from gaming giant Tencent’s “Honor of Kings.” 

Last April, the Supreme People’s Court issued guidelines clarifying how criminal law applies to IP violations, including copyright infringement. Shanghai has also since launched collaborative IP protection mechanisms for its online game industry.

Luo Xi, legal director at miHoYo, told local media that leaks can “create operational challenges for game developers, affecting release plans and overall product management.” 

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: VCG)