Market analysis firm Circana, which provides crucial insights into U.S. video game sales, has lost two significant data sources: Xbox and EA. As of July 2026, Xbox will no longer participate as a digital data sharing panel publisher with Circana. This move follows EA's recent decision to cease its own data sharing, which coincided with the company going private.
Circana relies on publishers and retailers to provide sales data. For physical game sales, information is gathered from retailers and other tracking sources. However, for digital sales conducted through platforms like the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and EA's own storefronts, the data must originate from the platform owners or the publishers themselves. The digital data sharing panel is comprised of publishers who voluntarily share this information.
Previously, Xbox and EA provided data on their digital storefront sales, contributing to Circana's comprehensive reports. This contrasts with companies like Nintendo, which does not share digital sales data, leading Circana to rely on estimations for their market presence. While other publishers, such as Ubisoft and Take-Two, have previously withdrawn from the panel, Take-Two has since rejoined, while Ubisoft remains absent. The departure of Xbox is particularly impactful, as it removes transparency for U.S. digital sales of its first-party titles, including the highly successful Call of Duty franchise. This also further obscures the digital sales figures for other publishers not actively sharing data with Circana, such as EA and Ubisoft.
The implications extend beyond current reporting. With digital sales comprising an increasingly large portion of the overall market, a reliance solely on physical sales data provides an incomplete picture. Projections indicate that consoles will phase out disc production entirely in the coming years, with PlayStation expected to end disc production in 2028 and Xbox likely to follow suit. This shift will make industry-wide sales analysis entirely dependent on platform holders sharing their digital data, a trend that could further erode transparency.
Currently, the publishers remaining on Circana's digital data sharing panel include Bandai Namco, Capcom, Crystal Dynamics, Disney Interactive Studios, Eidos, Konami, Plaion, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two, and Warner Bros. There are also unconfirmed reports suggesting Xbox may have also withdrawn from Game Sales Data (GSD), a similar data provider in Europe, which would represent an even greater loss of transparency.
The gradual reduction in industry transparency can ultimately harm players. Without accurate sales data available to analysts and journalists, companies may gain greater control over narratives surrounding their games. This could allow them to misrepresent game performance to justify decisions such as layoffs or to excuse anti-consumer practices by falsely claiming popularity. The author expresses concern that this trend could lead to a future where objective information about the industry becomes inaccessible, leaving players reliant on corporate messaging.