China Recreation District: Gigantic

The world Entropia is building for the China Recreation District was previously pegged at capable of hosting around 150 million avatars with 7 million online concurrently. Chief Scientist Robert Lai told The Guardian that, in fact, that doesn't even come close. China is converting a 100 sq km nationalized steel mill site for multiple projects, but one is to house the guts of a virtual world meant to be home to billions of avatars. We reported previously on the CRD's plan to use virtual worlds to connect Western consumers directly to Chinese manufacturers, which could change the face of Chinese business. When The Guardian asked Lai how this change compared to the Industrial Revolution, he replied "It will be faster, bigger, more like an explosion." [via The Guardian]