Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase can celebrate the MOC approval of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty for the Chinese market, but there is still the GAPP approval hurdle to pass. If the GAPP approves the game the country's gamers would likely embrace it, as the gamers in the rest of the world have done. It serves as a strong extension beyond the WoW franchise that has been a leader in Chinese online games rankings for several years.

Shanda has spun off yet another business unit (it might become a spectator sport to watch how many spin-offs Shanda can make from itself.) The company does have several avenues it is pursuing as lines of business, and mobile Internet is one of them. With the latest company, Shanda Capital, they will be able to invest in mobile Internet plays. The world of games has embraced mobile devices of all sorts - tablets, smartphones, handheld game consoles - and there clearly will be much to invest in along that avenue.

Indonesia, one of the most intriguing online games markets in Southeast Asia in Niko's opinion, just posted the highest GDP growth in 6 years. The country is poised for gains in its economy, which should trickle down to tech sales and usage, including online games.