Source: This story originated with Variety.
Xbox is consolidating its film and television, consumer products, strategic partnerships and live-experience operations into a new entertainment division called XP, with “A Minecraft Movie” executive producer Kayleen Walters taking charge as president.
The restructuring, reported by Variety and detailed in memos from Xbox leadership, brings together businesses that had previously operated across multiple teams. XP’s name is a nod to “experience points,” and its mandate will extend some of Xbox’s best-known game franchises into entertainment and experiences beyond the games themselves.
Walters is transitioning from her current post as president of Mojang, Xbox’s “Minecraft” studio. Her XP team will work with properties including “Minecraft,” “Call of Duty,” “Fallout,” “Warcraft,” “Gears of War,” “Candy Crush,” “Diablo,” “Forza,” “The Elder Scrolls” and “Halo.”
Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball said the new structure aligns long-established capabilities behind one mission: helping Xbox franchises find larger audiences, strengthen connections with existing players and new fans, and create opportunities for fandoms to expand internationally.
XP’s Four Entertainment Pillars
The division will be organized around four investment areas, covering both screen projects and fan experiences.
Xbox Pictures will oversee film, television and other linear storytelling based on Xbox worlds and characters. Xbox Products will focus on licensing and merchandise designed around individual fandoms.
Xbox Places will handle broadcasts, live events, attractions, destinations, theme parks and other location-based experiences. Xbox Partnerships, meanwhile, will work with creators, communities and brands on sponsorships, collaborations and new experiences.
“Fans don’t just play our franchises,” Walters said in a Thursday memo. “They watch them, wear them, attend them, celebrate them, and connect with them in countless ways.”
She added that XP will unite the teams responsible for bringing Xbox franchises into the wider world in “bigger, more meaningful ways.”
Walters arrives at the new division following a major period of growth for “Minecraft.” During her time at Mojang, the game increased from 350 million units sold to more than 425 million. Warner Bros.’ “A Minecraft Movie,” on which she served as executive producer, scored the biggest opening weekend for a video game adaptation and reached No. 1 at the domestic box office.
In a memo to employees, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described the film as the biggest movie in the U.S. last year and a top-five release worldwide. Walters is also a producer on its sequel.
Her Mojang team additionally expanded “Minecraft” consumer products into a multibillion-dollar business involving more than 250 licensees and secured a deal for the first of several planned “Minecraft” theme parks.
Before joining Xbox, Walters spent 13 years at Lucasfilm, where, according to Sharma, she helped guide “Star Wars” across films, products and partnerships.
Maria Angelidou-Smith to Take Over Mojang
Walters’ move creates a leadership change at Mojang. Sharma has appointed Maria Angelidou-Smith as CEO of the “Minecraft” studio, with Angelidou-Smith scheduled to begin Monday, October 19, at the Bear Creek office.
Angelidou-Smith most recently served as chief product officer at Reddit. She previously spent nearly a decade at Meta, where she led Facebook Groups, used by more than 1.8 billion people each month, as well as Events, Creators, Search, Profile and Monetization. She later led product and technology at Personio.
Sharma said Xbox sought a deeply technical leader who understood large communities and the relationship between creators, products, technology and monetization.
“Minecraft is one of the largest communities in entertainment,” Sharma said, pointing to the hundreds of millions of people who play, build, create, teach, watch, modify, operate servers and create businesses around the franchise.
Angelidou-Smith’s first priority will be learning from Mojang’s teams and the communities surrounding “Minecraft.” Sharma also said she would travel to Stockholm the following week to meet with the team and discuss the transition in person.
Beyond a Traditional Studio Model
XP launches as Xbox continues building a slate of screen adaptations. Its projects include “A Minecraft Movie,” Amazon’s “Fallout” television series, an upcoming animated “Diablo” series and a “Call of Duty” movie in development at Paramount. Xbox also holds the film and television rights to Hideo Kojima’s next game, “Physint.”
But Sharma said the company’s entertainment plans are intended to reach beyond the capabilities of a conventional Hollywood studio. Recent off-screen efforts include an expanded BlizzCon, which brought the two-day Blizzard Entertainment fan convention back after a three-year absence, and a WWE takeover themed around the new game “Gears of War: E-Day.”
What Happens Next?
With Walters leading XP and Angelidou-Smith taking control of Mojang, Xbox is formally separating its broader franchise-expansion strategy from the day-to-day leadership of the “Minecraft” studio. XP will now bring the company’s adaptations, merchandise, partnerships, events and location-based experiences under a single division as Xbox looks to grow its franchises well beyond gameplay.
ShowBiz Take
XP formalizes Xbox’s effort to treat major game franchises as broader entertainment ecosystems, connecting film and television with merchandise, brand partnerships, live events and location-based experiences. For studios, creators and consumer brands, that creates a centralized partner around properties including “Minecraft,” “Fallout,” “Call of Duty” and “Halo,” while giving Xbox more ways to reach audiences beyond players.
Walters’ appointment suggests “Minecraft” will serve as a model: under her leadership, the franchise expanded in products, film and planned theme parks without losing its focus on fandom. Installing Maria Angelidou-Smith at Mojang also separates that wider franchise-building mandate from the specialized work of managing a large, creator-driven gaming community.