This projected $20B+ of growth in the digital games market will stem from the contributions made by the PC market, showing that even while PC sales might be declining, PC gaming is stronger than ever, accounting for 42% of games revenues this year alone.

This news comes from Juniper Research, which is also quick to point out that mobile platforms are also accounting ‘for ever increasing contributions’ too, with a projected market share ‘approaching 35% by 2020.’

Then there are games consoles, with software revenue generated by this segment projected to reach $27 billion by 2018, up from an estimated $21 billion this year.

On top of this is virtual reality which will also drive growth.

All of the details of this research can be found in Juniper’s new report entitled ‘Worldwide Digital Games Market 2015-2020’, on sale to relevant parties at relevant prices, and which is the research firm’s ‘most comprehensive industry report to date, covering the Mobile, Tablet, PC, Console, Handheld, VR (virtual reality) and Cloud platforms.’

Contrary to the rumours of its impending demise, Juniper says it believes that ‘the console industry will continue to evolve to take advantage of new technological opportunities, despite the platform already reaching its 8th generation.’

The research report’s author is Lauren Foye who said: “As digital purchases gain favour with consumers, we will see a drive in sales during the lifecycle of the current generation of consoles.

“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.

Mobile games are also set for continued growth, having already 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 forecasts that this trend will continue, with mobile and tablet revenues approaching almost 35% of total game revenues by 2020.

As per usual, Juniper has a free whitepaper with some additional info to tempt those relevant parties into buying the full report.

The whitepaper is entitled ‘Omnichannel ~ A Game Changer for Consoles?’ and can be downloaded after free registration.

Game on!