Chinese online game operator Giant Interactive Group has announced plans to start an overall salary increase, in which the average increase rate of all employees is 14% and the highest can reach 30%.

Giant says that this salary increase will continue to focus on the company's research and development department, which is consistent with its strategy of enhancing investments in research and development and being generous to the research and development team.

Since last year, Giant has invested huge in the research and development sector. According to its financial report for the third quarter of 2008, the company invested CNY63.3 million in research and development, a year-on-year increase of 360%. In addition, during the first three quarters of 2008, its research and development costs increased over 60% compared with the previous three quarters.

Giant's research and development team had only dozens of people when the company was just founded. By the end of 2008, its research and development group grew to over 1,000 people, making Giant one of the companies with the greatest research and development team in the Chinese online game industry.