Chart of the Week: Move over mobile – tablets to enjoy near 50% CAGR between now and 2016

Calculated using a model Newzoo claims took it 12 months to finalise, the market research firm's latest projection initially seems to highlight just one trend: predictably, games are going to generate more revenue in the years ahead.

But, as Newzoo itself explains, the devil is in the detail.

The company makes a number of projections about an industry it claims will generate annual revenue of $86.1 billion by 2016, including the perhaps bold prediction that console and TV gaming will still be responsible for the lion's share in three years' time.

However, of most note for the mobile and tablet sector – which, combined, will generate more than a quarter of that total – is the continued rise of the slate.

Tablets will enjoy the higher compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of any sector within the games industry according to Newzoo, coming in at 47.6 percent.

Interestingly, that's higher than mobile on 18.8 percent, and also contrasts starkly to a 6.4 percent fall in CAGR for PC and Mac and a 15 percent slide for handhelds.

Indeed, while tablets generated the smallest share of games revenue in 2012 – just 3.2 percent – they'll be the fourth biggest player overall by 2016, with an 11.6 percent slice of the cake.

[source: Newzoo]