Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited was founded in December 1999 by
Chen Tianqiao, Chrissy Luo, and
Chen Danian. In 2003, a dispute over profit sharing caused the relationship to fracture between Shanda and WeMade. No longer able to operate
The Legend of Mir 2, Shanda developed the game
The World of Legend (), which began operation in June 2003. Shanda transferred all user data from
The Legend of Mir 2 into the new game, promising its customers that their character, points, armors and weapons would remain the same. WeMade Entertainment deemed
The World of Legend to be a copy of Mir 2 and sued Shanda for copyright infringement in October 2003. After a prolonged legal battle, the two companies reached a settlement on April 26, 2009. By October 2004, Shanda operated eight games and was the largest online game company in China, hosting 1.2 million simultaneous players. By June 2008, Shanda Games Limited had become a business unit of Shanda Interactive. In 2009, Shanda Interactive spun off Shanda Games in the largest
IPO in the
United States that year under the ticker: GAME, raising US$1.04 billion. At the time, Shanda Games provided 77 percent of Shanda Interactive's revenue. Shanda Group founder
Tianqiao Chen subsequently sold his stake in Shanda Games in 2014. In 2017, the Shanda Games brand was acquired by Zhejiang Century Huatong Group. On March 30, 2019, following a buyout by Zhejiang Century Huatong Group, Shanda Games changed their name to Shengqu Games. ==Subsidiaries and sub-organization==