The Shijingshan District People’s Court in June heard the inheritance dispute and found that the right to use online game accounts carries property value and is protected under Chinese law, according to Sixth Tone.
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Gaming consoles. Photo from Pexels |
Gu, the only son of a woman identified as Chen, had been an enthusiastic gamer for many years. Over more than a decade, he created 87 accounts under his real name on one gaming platform, investing substantial amounts of time and money in developing characters and acquiring virtual items.
Gu died in 2025 following a serious illness. As one of his legal heirs, Chen asked the gaming company to transfer the accounts into her name.
The company rejected the request, saying its user agreement stipulated that the accounts and virtual items belonged to the company and that players were granted only limited usage rights. It also argued that the accounts contained personal information and therefore could not simply be transferred to another person.
Chen subsequently took the company to court, seeking an order requiring it to transfer the accounts.
The court found that although ownership of the accounts remained with the company, players held legitimate rights to use them. Because those rights could have market value and were not purely personal, they qualified as virtual property protected by law, The Herald Business reported.
The judge also noted that existing Chinese laws do not prohibit the inheritance of rights to use gaming accounts. Gu’s daughter had formally waived her inheritance rights, making Chen the sole legal heir.
The court further found that neither Chinese law nor the gaming company’s user agreement expressly barred changes to identity-verification information. It therefore ruled that the company had an obligation to cooperate with the transfer.
The company was ordered to transfer the rights to use all 87 accounts to Chen and update their identity-verification details within 15 days of the ruling taking effect.