SHANGHAI - China's gaming market expanded 30 percent year on year, in the first half of 2016, with sales revenue hitting 78.8 billion yuan ($11.8 billion), according to a report released Wednesday.

Mobile games saw the fastest growth, with sales soaring 79 percent to 37.5 billion yuan, according to the China Gaming Industry Report released at the China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference in Shanghai.

China has 489 million game players, it said.

Sun Shoushan, deputy chief of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said that with new technology and good IP, the gaming sector would begin to integrate with other sectors, including literature, film and animation, ushering in a new growth period.

Market research agency Newzoo estimated that China would overtake the United States, becoming the world's largest gaming market this year, with a revenue of $24.4 billion.