Consultant: China's online game market hit 12.8 bln yuan in 2007

BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's online game market surged 66.7 percent year-on-year to hit 12.8 billion yuan in 2007, according to a report released by i Research Inc., a well-known consulting firm.

The jump is largely driven by China's massive player-pool and operators' marketing efforts, said the firm.

Shanda ranked the first with a market share of 19.3 percent while the runner-up Netease took 15.1 percent, followed by Giant Interactive Group who took 11.9 percent, according to i Research.

China's online game market is expected to hit 19.1 billion yuan in 2008 and 40.1 billion yuan in 2011, predicts the firm. (One U.S. dollar equals 7.11 yuan)