As part of Microsoft's ongoing "reset" of its gaming division, Xbox has announced the creation of Xbox XP, a new division that will span "film and television, consumer products, strategic partnerships, and live experiences." The announcement comes on the heels of 2025's A Minecraft Movie, which was a box office smash, and the success of Prime Video's Fallout. According to the announcement on Xbox Wire from Matthew Ball, chief strategy officer at Xbox, XP will focus on four investment areas. These are as follows: XP will be led by Kayleen Walters, who previously worked at Lucasfilm and (most recently) served as the president of Minecraft developer Mojang.
Her time at Mojang also included serving as executive producer on A Minecraft Movie. Mari Angelidou-Smith, previously of Meta and Reddit, will succeed Walters as the head of Mojang. Both Walters and Angelidou-Smith will report directly to Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox.
XP, Ball said in an email to Xbox staff, "brings together capabilities that have existed across various teams at XBOX for years and aligns them behind a shared mission: helping our franchises reach more people, create deeper connections with players and new fans, and unlock new opportunities for these fandoms to grow around the world." "Great games remain at the center of these franchises and at the heart of XBOX," Ball added. "XP will partner with the best creative minds across our studios, along with trusted partners, to build on that foundation and create more ways for people to experience the worlds they love." This is the latest big announcement from Sharma, who was made CEO earlier this year. Her tenure in the position so far has been defined by an apparent effort to course-correct the company.
That has mostly involved numerous rounds of layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. Xbox also continues to be a priority target of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. While Xbox Pictures is only one of four investment areas in the new XP division, it is certainly the flashiest.
Xbox properties have already found success on screen, namely with A Minecraft Movie. Other adaptations have included the short-lived Halo series at Paramount Plus, which does have its fans. Looking forward, Xbox already has several upcoming adaptations announced.
A second Minecraft movie, titled A Minecraft Movie Squared, is currently in development, as is the third season of Amazon Prime's Fallout. There is also a Call of Duty movie in the works from Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, Sicario). During this year's BlizzCon, it was announced that a Diablo animated series is happening at Netflix.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
