Online video game maker Changyou.com Ltd. soared in its trading debut yesterday, with shares up nearly 36 percent, putting it on pace for the most successful stock launch in nearly a year.

Changyou, spun off from Chinese Internet portal Sohu.com, saw its ADRs start trading on Nasdaq at $22.02, a 38 percent premium over the $16 price at which the ADRs were priced on Wednesday. It was only the third IPO in the US since August 2008 and the largest Chinese IPO on a US exchange since 2007.