Circana’s monthly US video-game market reports help show which games are selling, how console performance is changing and where the wider industry is heading. While this information is especially useful to publishers, retailers and analysts, public sales data also helps players understand why games are made, promoted and supported in particular ways.
That picture has become less complete after Xbox and EA left Circana’s digital data-sharing panel.
What Xbox and EA’s departure means
As of July 2026, Xbox was no longer participating as a digital data-sharing publisher, Circana confirmed. Xbox and EA had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting. Circana also said EA had recently ended its membership, with the change occurring around the company’s move into private ownership.
Circana needs reliable sales information from retailers, platform holders and publishers to measure how games perform. Physical sales can be tracked through retailers and other purchase-monitoring sources. Digital sales through platforms such as the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store require information from the platform owners or the publishers selling those games.
The digital data-sharing panel consists of publishers that voluntarily provide some or all of their digital sales information. Until recently, Xbox and EA supplied data that helped Circana report more accurately on games sold through their digital storefronts.
Why the missing data matters
The contrast with Nintendo is significant. Nintendo does not provide digital sales data to the panel, so its chart positions rely on informed estimates and analysis. Xbox data had also helped fill gaps when other publishers stopped participating. Ubisoft and Take-Two, for example, have previously left the panel; Take-Two later returned, while Ubisoft did not.
Xbox’s withdrawal is particularly important because it removes greater visibility of Xbox first-party digital software in the United States, including Call of Duty, one of the industry’s most consistently successful annual franchises. It also makes sales for publishers that do not share data voluntarily, including Ubisoft and now EA, harder to assess.
As a result, the latest software charts contain more estimation than verified reporting. That is not a criticism of Circana’s analysts, whose work remains grounded in the information available. At present, an informed estimate is more useful than having no indication at all.
For more coverage of changing business practices across gaming, visit RETROCADE’s arcade news and industry blog.
A growing problem for digital-first gaming
The issue may become more serious as physical game sales continue to represent a smaller share of the market. PlayStation is expected to end disc production entirely in 2028, which would make outside reporting on new first-party sales even more dependent on information supplied by PlayStation.
PlayStation could potentially follow the lead of Xbox and Nintendo by withholding its data. Xbox is also expected to move away from discs eventually, while its physical sales already appear relatively low compared with those of its competitors. Sales information from Steam and Blizzard’s Battle.net store is not available either.
At the time of reporting, the remaining companies on Circana’s panel were:
- Bandai Namco
- Capcom
- Crystal Dynamics
- Disney Interactive Studios
- Eidos
- Konami
- Plaion
- Sega
- Sony
- Square Enix
- Take-Two
- Warner Bros.
There were also reports from individuals that Xbox may have withdrawn from Game Sales Data, or GSD, which performs a similar role in Europe. Those reports had not been confirmed by official sources, so the extent of any European data loss remained unclear.
Why sales transparency affects players
Most players do not need to follow unit sales or revenue figures. However, declining transparency can still affect them. When journalists and analysts lack dependable numbers, companies have more control over the story surrounding a game’s performance.
Incomplete information can make it easier to describe a game as unsuccessful when that claim supports layoffs or other business decisions. The same lack of scrutiny can also allow companies to present unpopular or anti-consumer choices as more successful than they really are.
Accurate public data matters because it gives players, journalists and analysts a clearer basis for discussing the hobby. As the industry becomes increasingly digital, the loss of independent visibility risks leaving the public reliant on statements from the corporations selling the games.
For arcade operators and collectors, the same principle applies when assessing hardware and software trends. RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide offers practical advice for comparing options, while the arcade machine range shows the kind of dedicated hardware that remains tangible in an increasingly digital market.
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