By Jon Scarr
XBOX has launched XP, a new division bringing its film and television adaptations, merchandise, partnerships, and live experiences together under one organization. Kayleen Walters, who previously led Minecraft studio Mojang, will run the division as its president.
XBOX chief strategy officer Matthew Ball introduced XP on October 8, alongside a leadership update from XBOX CEO Asha Sharma. The division will work across franchises including Minecraft, Halo, Fallout, and Call of Duty, with a focus on how fans experience those worlds beyond the games.
XBOX XP Brings Four Entertainment Businesses Together
XP takes its name from experience points in games. It has four branches, each covering a different part of XBOX's entertainment business.
XBOX Pictures oversees film and television adaptations, while XBOX Places covers live events, attractions, and broadcasts. XBOX Products handles merchandise and licensing. XBOX Partnerships focuses on collaborations with creators, sponsors, and brands.
A Minecraft Movie brought Minecraft to theatres, and Fallout became a television series on Amazon. Paramount has a Call of Duty movie in development, and a Diablo animated series is also planned.
Those projects were already underway before XP was announced. The difference now is that XBOX has a dedicated division overseeing entertainment work previously handled by several different teams.
There's more to XP than movies and television. BlizzCon returned in September after a three-year absence, and XBOX recently worked with WWE on a promotion for Gears of War: E-Day. Minecraft is moving into theme parks as well, with Mojang securing an agreement for the first of several planned attractions.
Kayleen Walters Moves From Mojang to Lead XP
Walters spent 13 years at Lucasfilm, where she worked with Star Wars across films, merchandise, and partnerships. She later became president of Mojang and helped grow Minecraft beyond the game itself.
During her time at Mojang, XBOX reports that Minecraft went from 350 million units sold to more than 425 million. Its merchandise business also grew into a multibillion-dollar operation with more than 250 licensees.
Walters served as an executive producer on A Minecraft Movie and is producing its sequel. She's already worked on the same kinds of projects XP will handle, from film adaptations to merchandise and other entertainment experiences.
Her new position takes that work beyond Minecraft. She'll oversee XP's four businesses and work with XBOX studios and outside partners on entertainment projects involving the company's other franchises.
Maria Angelidou-Smith Takes Over Mojang
Walters' move also brings a leadership change to Mojang. Maria Angelidou-Smith will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft, reporting directly to Asha Sharma.
Angelidou-Smith spent nearly a decade at Meta, where she led Facebook Groups and worked on community products including Events and Creators. She later held leadership positions at Personio and Reddit, most recently serving as Reddit's chief product officer.
Her experience with large online communities was an important part of the decision to bring her to Mojang. Minecraft has grown into a community where people create mods, run servers, build worlds, and even operate businesses.
Sharma wants Mojang's next leader to understand how those communities work and how technology can support them. Angelidou-Smith's first priority will be getting to know Mojang's teams and the Minecraft community when she starts on October 19, 2026.
Jon Scarr
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