Video Games

Digital games market to see sales worth $100 billion this year: Research

The digital videogames market will pass the $100 billion revenue checkpoint by the end of the year, according to research.

Juniper Research's annual report into the games market predicts the videogame market on PC and mobile will grow to earn $132 billion in total revenues by 2021.

Juniper named Supercell, a game developer from Finland known for making Clash Royale, Clash of Clans and Boom Beach, as the market leader.

Pokemon Go players are seen in search of Pokemon and other in-game items in the Pasadena Playhouse District.
PG/Bauer-Griffin | GC Images | Getty Images

The sector's growth is being driven predominantly by mobile gaming and the "free to play" (F2P) model, which allows gamers to play a game for free, but charges for items such as extra lives, according to the report.

Juniper's research says that more and more PC games are adopting the F2P model in order to boost revenue.

"Juniper believes there is further opportunity for F2P on PC; particularly in Western markets; as well as console, with digital platforms such as Xbox Live playing host to F2P titles which are then monetized via in-game purchases and add-ons" explained research author Lauren Foye in a press release.

PC and console-based digital sales have made much smaller contributions to the growth of the market compared to the mobile games app sector, according to Piers Harding-Rolls, director and head of games research at IHS Technology.

"Mobile gaming through app stores has completely transformed the scale and growth rate of the digital games market and is now the biggest platform category within the market by quite some margin," he told CNBC via email.

"While a lot of mobile games growth is additive to the total market opportunity, it has also led to less growth in the PC games segment, as gamers transition their spending to smart devices. This is particularly true in markets such as South Korea and China where PC gaming was so dominant up until a few years ago."

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.