Market intelligence firm Newzoo has increased its estimate for the value of the global games market in 2017 to $116 billion.

The mobile gaming market alone is estimated to generate $50.4 billion for the year, up from a previous estimate of $46.1 billion. Smartphones alone are expected to generate $39.1 billion in gaming revenue, up from the previous estimate of $35.3 billion.

Looking across different regions, China's estimate revenue is expected to reach $32.5 billion by the end of 2017, while Japan is estimated to hit $14 billion by the end of the year.

Growing clones

As for why its adjusting its estimations, Newzoo pointed to the rise in competitive games, particularly on mobile in China. Games such as Tencent's Honor of Kings are expected to help grow the global games market.

As well as this, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and the influx of clones on mobile are expected to make an impact on global game revenues. The continued growth of eSports will also contribute to this growth.

While Newzoo believes that mobile PUBG clones may have a big impact on revenues, there's some debate as to how existing clones are performing. NetEase's three mobile battle royale titles, for example, don't currently feature any monetisation.