China's Gaming Market Going Up, Up, Up

In totally unsurprising news, China's game market continues to climb — numbers just posted for the second quarter of 2008 show an 11.2% increase over first quarter, and a nearly 66% increase from the same quarter last year (!). In terms of market share, Shanda leads the pack with a 17.9% share, with other big companies hovering below that. The current market is estimated to be worth 4.43 billion yuan (around $645 million), and with no predicted slowdowns, one wonders what we'll be seeing this time next year (or even fourth quarter of '08). And with companies like Perfect World making a foray into Western markets, we'll just have to wait and see where China's industry is heading long-term. China market: 2Q08 online gaming services valued at 4.43 billion yuan [Digitimes via GamesIndustry.biz]