Former Mojang president Kayleen Walters will lead Xbox's new entertainment division, bringing film, television, merchandise, partnerships, and live experiences under one operation.
Xbox is expanding its reach beyond video games with the launch of XP, a new entertainment division that will oversee film and television adaptations, consumer merchandise, brand partnerships, and live events. The name is a nod to "experience points," a familiar term among gamers.
Leading the new division as President is Kayleen Walters, the outgoing president of Mojang Studios and an executive producer of A Minecraft Movie. The move brings several existing Xbox operations together under one division as Microsoft looks to expand its gaming franchises into other areas of entertainment.
According to Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball, XP will bring together teams that previously operated across different parts of the company, creating a more unified approach to how Xbox franchises extend beyond games and connect with audiences.
The division will focus on four areas:
- Xbox Pictures: Film, television and other linear storytelling based on Xbox games, characters and franchises.
- Xbox Products: Merchandise, apparel and licensed products connected to Xbox properties.
- Xbox Places: Live events, broadcasts, immersive attractions, theme park experiences and other destinations for fans.
- Xbox Partnerships: Collaborations with brands, platforms, creators and other companies that extend Xbox franchises beyond games.
Walters brings considerable experience in entertainment and franchise management to the position. Before joining Mojang, she spent 13 years at Lucasfilm, working across the company's film, merchandise and franchise businesses.
During her time at Mojang, Minecraft continued its expansion beyond gaming through merchandise, entertainment and location-based experiences. Walters also served as an executive producer of A Minecraft Movie, giving her direct experience bringing one of Xbox's largest gaming properties to theaters.
The success of A Minecraft Movie provides a clear example of what Xbox can accomplish when one of its gaming properties reaches audiences through another form of entertainment. XP now gives the company a dedicated structure for managing those opportunities across its broader portfolio.
Xbox already has several franchises with a presence beyond gaming. Fallout has expanded into live-action television through the Prime Video series, while other Xbox-owned properties have histories in film, television, merchandise and live entertainment.
Rather than announcing a specific slate of new XP movies or television series, the creation of the division establishes the organization that will oversee how those opportunities are developed across Xbox's franchises.
Xbox has also been exploring ways to connect its gaming properties with audiences through live experiences. Recent initiatives include the return of an expanded two-day BlizzCon and promotional partnerships that bring gaming franchises into other areas of entertainment and popular culture.
The creation of XP formalizes those efforts, bringing movies, television, merchandise, events and partnerships together rather than treating them as separate extensions of individual games.
Walters said the division reflects the many ways audiences now interact with gaming franchises beyond playing them.
"Fans don't just play our franchises," Walters said. "They watch them, wear them, attend them, celebrate them, and connect with them in countless ways."
She added that XP will bring together the teams responsible for helping Xbox franchises reach audiences "in bigger, more meaningful ways."
Walters' move to XP also brings new leadership to Mojang. Maria Angelidou-Smith, formerly Chief Product Officer at Reddit and an executive at Meta, has been appointed CEO of Mojang Studios.
Angelidou-Smith brings experience in community-focused technology and creator platforms to the studio behind Minecraft as the franchise continues to expand across games and other forms of entertainment.
Both Walters and Angelidou-Smith will report directly to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.
For Xbox, XP represents a more formal approach to developing gaming franchises as entertainment properties that extend beyond consoles and computers. With Minecraft already demonstrating how one of its largest properties can move between games, theaters, merchandise, and physical experiences, Xbox now has a dedicated division responsible for exploring where its other franchises can go next.
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