The sales analysis company Circana, a reference in the American market, will no longer receive digital data from Microsoft for its reports from July 2026. The information, confirmed by the company, indicates that sales figures for titles from the Xbox, Activision and Bethesda brands will from now on be based on estimates, and no longer on precise data. This change was implemented on August 20, 2026, and creates uncertainty for the industry’s sales outlook.
Formerly known as NPD, Circana maintains its position as the authority on monthly monitoring of equipment and software sales in the United States. The company’s operation involves the collaboration of partners such as Sony and Bandai Namco, who provide their digital sales data. These are then integrated with information obtained directly from physical stores, resulting in lists of the most sold games and serving as strategic intelligence for the market.
Microsoft follows the path of other large companies by not disclosing data
Following Microsoft’s withdrawal, Circana will need to use projections to analyze one of the most extensive catalogs in the gaming industry. The technology company is not a pioneer in this approach, as Nintendo and Take-Two had already suspended sharing digital data with the firm a few years ago. The news is that, now, Circana will start using estimates for all publishers that are not part of its program, adding a considerable margin of error to its surveys.
This decision was not restricted to American territory alone. Microsoft also suspended the transfer of information to GSD, the European tracking system with a similar function to Circana. This closure in multiple markets signals a more comprehensive change in the company’s conduct regarding the disclosure of its sales statistics.
What are the impacts of the lack of data on the gaming market?
At first, the main consequence is a decrease in accuracy in monthly sales reports. Highly successful digital franchises, such as Call of Duty, Diablo and Bethesda games, will have their results presented with estimated values, rather than concrete values. For market professionals, specialized press and even rival studios that depend on this data for analysis, the absence of real information creates a significant gap.
The question remains whether other major publishers will opt for the same strategy. Among the major platform owners, PlayStation stands out as the only one that still shares its digital sales information with Circana and other market tracking platforms.
Currently, the gaming industry scenario points to a growing lack of transparency in sales figures, which complicates any in-depth analysis of the market and its dynamics.
Xbox has kept secrets about console sales for a long time
The change in data policy is not entirely surprising. Microsoft and its Xbox division had already stopped disclosing the exact number of consoles sold a long time ago. Since approximately 2015, the company has chosen to primarily report revenue obtained from hardware and its respective variations.
In the year 2026, Microsoft maintains this same strategy: corporate results only indicate the increase or decrease in hardware revenue, without specifying the number of consoles sold. Given this, hardware-related numbers, frequently released by companies such as VGChartz and Ampere, should be interpreted as projections, and not as official information from Microsoft.
