Impact of Xbox and EA stopping digital sales data sharing on the gaming market
Intelligence Summary
- Xbox and EA are pulling out of Circana’s digital data panel, affecting market analysis and sales forecasts.
In brief
- Xbox and EA will stop sharing digital sales data with Circana starting in July 2026.
- Circana, formerly known as NPD, publishes monthly reports on the U.S. videogame market.
- The end of this data sharing could reduce market transparency and make sales trend analysis harder.
GAME-scanner analysis
Xbox and EA’s decision to withdraw from Circana’s digital data sharing panel has major implications for the videogame industry. Circana is a key player in collecting and publishing sales data, and without input from these two major companies, the accuracy of market analysis could be affected. This may leave analysts and investors relying on estimates rather than hard numbers, making decision-making more difficult.
In addition, this development could signal a broader trend in which major publishers share less and less data, possibly out of concern for competitive advantage or privacy. That could change market dynamics, especially for smaller developers that depend on this kind of data to understand their position.
What does this mean for players?
For gamers, this change could mean less insight into the popularity and sales performance of games. That may affect purchasing decisions, since players may have less information about which titles are performing well or which games are in the spotlight. It could also influence competition between platforms, as sales transparency is an important part of marketing strategies.
Timeline
July 2026: Xbox and EA stop sharing digital sales data with Circana.
August 20, 2026: Publication of the first analyses after the data cutoff.