Xbox Forms XP Division, Names Walters to Lead — SkimNews
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- Xbox is launching XP, a new division consolidating film/TV, consumer products, strategic partnerships, and live experiences for franchises including Minecraft, Call of Duty, Fallout, Warcraft, Diablo, Forza, The Elder Scrolls, and Halo.
- Kayleen Walters, current Mojang president and executive producer of "A Minecraft Movie," will transition to president of XP, having previously spent 13 years at Lucasfilm.
- Maria Angelidou-Smith, who led Facebook Groups (1.8B monthly users) at Meta and most recently served as CPO at Reddit, will become CEO of Mojang starting October 19.
- Minecraft grew from 350M to 425M units sold during Walters' tenure, and the consumer products business now spans more than 250 licensees.
- XP's four investment areas are Xbox Pictures (film/TV adaptations), Xbox Products (merchandise/licensing), Xbox Places (live events, theme parks, destinations), and Xbox Partnerships (sponsors/brand deals).
- Upcoming projects named by Xbox include a Diablo animated series, a Call of Duty movie in development at Paramount, and film/TV rights for Hideo Kojima's "Physint."
Why it matters: Xbox is formalizing what was already happening organically — turning its gaming IP into a multi-platform entertainment portfolio under a single executive, rather than letting those deals sit across scattered teams. The bet is visible in the numbers: Minecraft's consumer products business already spans 250+ licensees and "A Minecraft Movie" became the top U.S. film of 2025. For Mojang's 425M-player community, Angelidou-Smith's background running products at Meta and Reddit signals Xbox wants the franchise treated more like a social platform than a traditional game studio.
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