New data from Juniper Research (www.juniperresearch.com) has found that the digital games industry will generate software revenues of just over US$80 billion this year, rising to $104 billion by the end of 2018. The majority of this growth will stem from the contributions made by the PC market, with this industry alone accounting for 42 percent of games revenues this year, says the research group.

However mobile platforms will account for ever increasing contributions, with a market share approaching 35 percent by 2020. Meanwhile, driven by consumer uptake and software purchases from the latest generation of games consoles, software revenue generated by this segment will reach $27 billion by 2018, up from an estimated $21 billion this year.

Contrary to the rumors of its impending demise, Juniper believes that the console industry will continue to evolve to take advantage of new technological opportunities, despite the platform already reaching its eighth generation.

"As digital purchases gain favor with consumers, we will see a drive in sales during the lifecycle of the current generation of consoles," says research author Lauren Foye. "Newly emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality will aid in consumer adoption, as the console continues to evolve to become the core home entertainment centre."

Juniper also expects cross-platform integration to prove a crucial addition to console games, with Microsoft’s planned addition of Windows 10 to the Xbox One in November enabling play between PC and Console in the upcoming title, Fable Legends.

Additionally, the mobile games industry has seen impressive uplift over the past few years, largely due to the popularity of "freemium games," whereby users make in-app purchases in games such as Clash of Clans, Candy Crush and Game of War. Juniper has forecasts that this trend will continue, with mobile and tablet revenues approaching almost 35% of total game revenues by 2020.