Abstract. The author argues that in recent years the world natural gas markets demonstrated vital new trends that primarily relate to the general slump in demand for the natural gas, as well as to accelerated build-up of shale gas production in the North American countries – the USA and Canada. The author proposes a non-partisan analysis of the factors and prospects of the “shale gas revolution”. The general conclusion is that the widely advertised forecasts of the upcoming dislodgement of the traditional gas, including LNG, from the markets of importing nations have no serious grounds.