Chinese Game Nears the “WoW Gap”

The online first person shooter (FPS) Crossfire is big in China.  A billion dollars big.  The game, according to a Korean game publication This Is Game, lead the country’s revenue markets for 2011 and neared the $1 billion (USD) mark as well.  The game brought in an estimated $860 million, more than double the nearest Chinese competition, Dungeon Fighter Online.

The lineup of Chinese-played games included Dragon Nest (coming in #6) and finally World of Warcraft at #7 most played in China.  Crossfire clearly lead the pack, according to the news outlet.  The best estimates for WoW income for 2011 is in the $1.1 billion area.

This could potentially be a big shakeup in the industry.  Not just from seeing WoW dethroned as the number one game in terms of revenue, but also because the new #1 would be in China, which also has the fastest-growing and most active gamer market in the world right now.

That would likely change how development companies view their markets.