According to Shanghai-based analyst firm iResearch, revenues from online games in China have increased by 185% over the past year, making the market worth $353m in the second quarter of 2007. Although the market has grown substantially over the past 12 months, the value actually shrank slightly in the first half of 2007 as total revenues fell 5.4% from a peak of $373m in the first quarter. Estimates from various sources put the number of online games players in China at between 30 and 60 million.
No other company holds more than 10% of the Chinese online gaming market and the top three local companies hold more than 53%: Shanda Interactive Entertainment (20.5%), Major portal operator Netease (17.9%) and Ztgame (15.1%). Shanda, which earns almost all its revenues from games and game-related products, reported earnings of $54.6m in the second quarter.
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