Shanda Group

Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited (or Shanda Interactive) (Chinese: 盛大互动娱乐有限公司; pinyin: Shèngdà Hùdòng Yúlè Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) is a Chinese operator of online games and book publisher, based in Shanghai, established in December 1999 by Chen Tianqiao and Chen Danian. In 2005 it claimed to have 460 million registered accounts and an average of 1.2 million players at any given time. Its 2004 listing on the US-based NASDAQ stock exchange raised $151.8 million USD. In September 2001, Shanda published its first game, The Legend of Mir 2 (Licensed from a Korean company, WeMade Soft).

Shanda's published and operated games include AION, MapleStory, The World of Legend, The Age, Magical Land, Ragnarok Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Crazy Arcade, and GetAmped.

In November 2005, Shanda announced that its multiplayer online role-playing games Magical Land and The World of Legend will forever be free to play. It was later revealed that once Shanda's games adopted this model, average customer spending increased from 30 Chinese yuan to 55 Chinese yuan per quarter. Following Shanda's example, other Chinese online game operators began to follow suit, declaring many of their titles free to play, popularizing this model in China.

In February 2005, Shanda announced a purchase of about 20% of the portal website SINA.com, targeting digital media markets. However, Shanda did not gain control over the board of trustees. On February 8, 2007, Shanda sold 4 million shares of Sina for $129 million, after Shanda transformed into a digital entertainment portal.