On October 8, 2026, Xbox announced XP, a new division "focused on how people experience our franchises beyond the games themselves." Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced it on Xbox Wire, explaining that "XP is a play on "Experience Points" and formalizes four investment areas for us." In a companion post, Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball wrote: "Our ambition at XBOX is to be the number one entertainment company in the world."
The four areas
- Xbox Pictures: "Bringing our worlds and characters to new audiences through film, television, and other forms of linear storytelling"
- Xbox Products: products that let fans celebrate the franchises they love
- Xbox Places: live events, immersive experiences, attractions, broadcasts and destinations
- Xbox Partnerships: work with creators, brands and communities on sponsorships and brand partnerships
Game Developer lists existing transmedia work around Xbox franchises, such as Minecraft Squared, the sequel to A Minecraft Movie, a Fallout series with Amazon and an announced Diablo animated series. Xbox didn't announce new projects in either post.
New leaders at XP and Mojang
Kayleen Walters becomes President of XP. "Before XBOX, she spent 13 years at Lucasfilm helping guide Star Wars across films, products, and partnerships," Sharma wrote. At Mojang, Ball wrote, "Minecraft grew from an already-record setting 350 million units sold to over 425 million." Game Developer notes she was an executive producer of A Minecraft Movie.
Maria Angelidou-Smith replaces her as CEO of Mojang and Minecraft from October 19. She spent nearly a decade at Meta, ran product and technology at Personio, and was Reddit's chief product officer. Both report to Sharma.
The timing
XP arrives during Xbox's "reset," which, according to The Next Web, covers about 3,200 jobs. In September, Xbox cut 268 more roles, handed the next Halo to Activision and opened consultation on closing Ninja Theory.
For the background, see our coverage of Xbox handing Halo to Activision.
