Statistics released by China's General Administration of Press and Publication show that the online games market in China realized actual sales of 18.38 billion yuan last year, up 76.6 percent from 2007. Moreover, it created 47.84 billion yuan in direct revenues for industries such as telecommunications and IT.

Of the games, a total of 33 online games independently developed by 15 Chinese online gaming companies have entered the overseas market, covering more than 40 countries and regions with annual sales revenue of over 100 million USD, up 28.6 percent year-on-year. The Southeast Asia region is the main export market.

By the end of last year, China's online gaming research and development companies already numbered 131. Presently, according to data provided by iResearch, a third party consulting company, the online gaming business at home has a growth rate of approximately 30 percent, while in the future, the average growth rate for overseas business of China's online gaming industry will reach 100 percent.

By People's Daily Online