Digital collectible card games are expected to generate revenues of over $1.4 billion worldwide in 2017, according to SuperData Research.

The marketing intelligence firm found that Blizzard's cross-platform CCG Hearthstone continues to dominate the market after it generated an estimated $395 million in 2016.

The secret to Hearthstone's success appears to be its strategy towards lives ops. Blizzard releases a new major content update with additional card packs to purchase around once every four months.

Spending and watching

Of the newcomers to the CCG genre, Cygames' Shadowverse proved to have the biggest launch. It generated $100 million worldwide despite launching halfway through 2016.

In terms of how players interact with CCGs, SuperData found that 7.6% of US CCG players spend on IAPs. This figure is higher than other types of hardcore gamers.

The firm also found that 86% of worldwide CCG players also watch videos relating to the genre. 59% of these viewers specifically watch videos that teach them new strategies for their chosen game.