Xbox launched XP on October 8, 2026, with Kayleen Walters as president. Maria Angelidou-Smith is set to become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft on October 19.
On October 8, 2026, Microsoft appointed Kayleen Walters to lead XP and named Maria Angelidou-Smith the incoming CEO of Mojang and Minecraft.
XP Takes Shape
Xbox created XP to move its major game worlds into film, television and consumer products. The division will also handle brand partnerships, broadcasts, live events and location-based experiences.
Xbox Pictures will manage film, television and other linear storytelling. Xbox Products will oversee licensing and merchandise. Xbox Partnerships will work with sponsors, brands and creators, while Xbox Places will cover broadcasts, live events, theme parks and other physical experiences. The structure appeared in an official Xbox Wire announcement covering XP and the leadership changes.
XP is a play on Experience Points, but its job is commercial and operational. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has brought work from separate teams under one division with a defined remit: help Xbox franchises reach people who may never play the original games. Xbox says the unit will formalise investment in four areas that can extend a franchise through film, television, products and physical experiences.
The division is not a film or television studio. The Hollywood Reporter describes XP as a group that matches Xbox intellectual property with suitable production partners. Its role is closer to central organiser and deal-maker than an internal production company.
Walters Brings Franchise Experience
Kayleen Walters will lead XP as president after leaving Mojang. Before joining Xbox, she spent 13 years at Lucasfilm working across Star Wars films and products. She later expanded Minecraft consumer products into a multibillion-dollar business involving more than 250 licensees. Variety reports that this background helped make her a fit for a job focused on moving game intellectual property into other media categories.
Walters also served as executive producer of A Minecraft Movie. Variety links her move to XP with Xbox's effort to scale the Minecraft model across film, licensing and partner-led projects. Sharma called the film the biggest release in the United States last year and a top-five release worldwide. Walters remains a producer on the upcoming sequel, already in production under the title Minecraft Squared.
The properties available to XP cover a wide span of Xbox's portfolio. Xbox has identified Call of Duty and Warcraft as possible candidates for wider adaptation or licensing work. The same applies to Gears of War and Candy Crush, while Diablo and Forza also sit within the broader group of franchises under consideration. The Elder Scrolls and Halo are included as well.
Walters' view of fandom extends beyond playing. It includes watching, wearing, attending and celebrating these brands, with each activity creating a separate commercial route.
Projects Already Moving
Some of the plan is already visible. Minecraft Squared is in production, and a Minecraft theme park is planned for 2027.
A Call of Duty film from Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg is in development. Netflix announced a Diablo animated series at BlizzCon 2026, while Amazon is preparing the third season of Fallout.
Xbox is also looking beyond its longest-established properties. PHYSINT, the Hideo Kojima game Xbox picked up after Sony walked away, is already being considered alongside film and television adaptations. Kojima's horror project OD is cited in the same context.
The record is uneven. Paramount's Halo series failed despite an improved second season. That outcome strengthens the case for central oversight, but XP cannot guarantee that a recognisable game becomes a successful film or series. Its practical value will rest on partner selection and creative control, along with whether each project fits its source material instead of relying on the name alone.
A Technical Reset for Mojang
Walters' departure opened a position at Mojang, and Sharma has filled it with Maria Angelidou-Smith. The new CEO spent nearly a decade at Meta leading Facebook Groups, which served more than 1.8 billion people each month. She also led Events, Creators, Search, Profile and Monetisation. Angelidou-Smith later led product and technology at Personio before becoming Chief Product Officer at Reddit. According to The Verge, she is scheduled to begin as CEO of Mojang and Minecraft on October 19, 2026.
Sharma said Mojang already has an exceptional development team. The search therefore focused on a technically experienced leader who understood products built for very large communities. Angelidou-Smith's first priority will be learning from the teams and communities that know Minecraft best, rather than imposing an immediate new direction.
The scale is measurable. XP has four investment areas. Walters brings 13 years at Lucasfilm, while Minecraft consumer products has more than 250 licensees. Facebook Groups reaches more than 1.8 billion monthly users, and the Minecraft theme park is planned for 2027. Those figures show the resources around the move, but they do not establish the quality or release timing of future adaptations.
Walters and Angelidou-Smith both report directly to Sharma in another major organisational decision since she joined the division in February. The structure gives Xbox a stronger way to turn franchises into films, products and destinations, while putting more pressure on the company to choose carefully. XP responds to the uneven results of game adaptations by centralising expertise, yet expansion beyond games does not guarantee success.
Licensing is not the same as production ownership. XP can connect intellectual property with a studio or commercial partner and coordinate the relationship without making the resulting film, series or attraction itself. An announced project can still change during development, and a planned experience such as a theme park is not evidence that the finished attraction will arrive in its stated form.
