Microsoft is no longer sharing digital sales data with Circana in the United States as of the July 2026 report. The change means the analytics firm will have to estimate digital performance for games published under the Xbox, Activision, and Bethesda umbrellas, according to Push Square. EA has also been reported as no longer participating in Circana’s digital data panel, with its departure said to align with the company’s going-private transition.
Here’s the context: Circana, formerly known as NPD, has provided monthly U.S. hardware and software sales breakdowns for many years. Publishers including Sony and Bandai Namco provide digital sales data that Circana combines with retailer information to compile sales charts. Microsoft now joins Nintendo and Take-Two, which have not provided digital sales data for many years.
Circana has recently begun incorporating estimated or predicted digital figures for publishers that do not participate in the panel. Those estimates allow the firm to project the wider digital market, but they also introduce a margin of error. Microsoft has also stopped sharing information with GSD, a European tracker.
The change is especially significant because it covers Microsoft publishing operations beyond Xbox Game Studios, including Bethesda and Activision. It also leaves Circana relying more heavily on estimates for digital sales from publishers that do not submit their figures.
Who is providing digital data?
The available reporting identifies Sony and Bandai Namco as publishers that provide Circana with digital sales data. Microsoft, Nintendo, Take-Two, EA, and Ubisoft are identified as non-participants in the digital panel.
What the data gap means for sales charts
The effect was visible in July’s sales discussion, where third-party estimates helped describe the performance of recent PlayStation versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Alinea Analytics estimated that the PS5 and PS4 versions of both games sold a combined 11.2 million copies worldwide during July.
With Microsoft no longer reporting its digital sales figures, Circana’s charts will have less direct data for Xbox, Activision, and Bethesda releases. Estimated figures can provide a broader market view, but they are not the same as publisher-supplied numbers.
What comes next
It remains unclear why Microsoft made the change or whether it represents a permanent policy shift. It is also unclear whether other publishers will make similar decisions. Push Square noted that PlayStation could choose to withhold its data in the future.
Circana’s reporting schedule is also changing. Its August report is set to be published on October 8 because of a major internal methodology overhaul, according to reporting on the July charts. The next reports will show how the revised approach handles a market with fewer publishers supplying digital sales data.
Does losing official Xbox and EA digital numbers change how much you trust monthly sales charts, or has estimated data always felt close enough? Let us know your take, and keep checking back for how Circana’s data gap plays out over the next few reporting cycles.
