XBOX Unveils New 'XP' Division to Take Its Franchises Beyond Gaming

Microsoft is giving Xbox franchises a much bigger life outside games. Xbox has announced XP, a new division dedicated to expanding its franchises through movies, television, merchandise, partnerships, live events and other real-world experiences.

The announcement comes with two major leadership changes. Kayleen Walters, who currently leads Mojang, will become President of XP, while Maria Angelidou-Smith, a former Meta executive and Reddit Chief Product Officer, will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft. Both will report directly to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.

Xbox XP will handle four major areas

XP is a play on “Experience Points” and will bring four existing areas of Xbox‘s franchise expansion under one division. Xbox Pictures will focus on film and television adaptations, while Xbox Products will handle licensing and merchandise.

Xbox Partnerships will focus on sponsors and collaborations with brands and creators, while Xbox Places will cover major broadcasts, in-person events, theme parks and other location-based experiences.

Walters brings plenty of experience to the new role. Before joining Xbox, she spent 13 years at Lucasfilm working on the Star Wars franchise. At Minecraft, she helped grow consumer products into a multibillion-dollar business with more than 250 licensees and served as executive producer of A Minecraft Movie.

Her move opens the door for Angelidou-Smith to take over Mojang and Minecraft. She spent nearly a decade at Meta working across Facebook Groups, Events, Creators, Search, Profile and Monetization before later leading product and technology at Personio and serving as Reddit’s Chief Product Officer. She will officially start at Mojang on October 19.

Not to forget, Xbox recently denied a report claiming it had secured exclusive GTA 6 streaming rights, clarifying that the game will not be streamed exclusively or to PC. Xbox also recently confirmed that it is finally seeing growth following its restructuring efforts. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma outlined major plans for PC gaming and Battle.net. In another news, Xbox has also assured to simplify its publishing process to make it easier for developers to bring games to Xbox and PC.