By Paula Beaton Xbox has announced its new XP division, headed up by newly-appointed President, Kayleen Waters (formerly of Mojang, the studio behind Minecraft).
The new division will have four key investment areas, across film and TV, live experiences, strategic partnerships, and consumer products, and aims to help the brand franchises reach a wider audience.
The four key areas are as follows:
- XBOX PICTURES: Bringing our worlds and characters to new audiences through film, television, and other forms of linear storytelling.
- XBOX PRODUCTS: Creating products that are authentic to the fandom that allow fans to celebrate and express the franchises they love.
- XBOX PLACES: Bringing communities together through live events, immersive experiences, attractions, broadcasts, and destinations.
- XBOX PARTNERSHIPS: Working with creators, brands, and communities to develop new experiences, sponsorships, and brand partnerships.
The press release was quick to reiterate that games remain at the heart of Xbox, but that these focus areas will create “more ways for people to experience the worlds they love.”
In a global email to Xbox employees, CEO Asha Sharma elaborated on the new XP division:
“XP is a play on ‘Experience Points’ and formalizes four investment areas for us: XBOX PICTURES for film and television adaptations; XBOX PRODUCTS for licensing and merchandise; XBOX PARTNERSHIPS for sponsors and brand partners; and XBOX PLACES for our marquee broadcast and in-person events, theme parks, and other location-based experiences. Our franchises can mean more to people than the time they spend playing them, and Kayleen knows how to build those experiences with the industry without losing what made people care about the franchise in the first place.”
Sharma’s email also spoke about who would succeed Waters as CEO of Mojang and Minecraft, naming Maria Angelidou-Smith, who brings almost a decade of experience leading Facebook Groups, Events, Creators, Search, Profile, and Monetization at Meta and was formerly Reddit’s Chief Product Officer.
“Maria brings deep experience to Mojang, along with a respect for what makes Minecraft special. Her first priority will be learning from the teams and communities who know Minecraft best. She starts Monday, October 19.”
It’s been clear for a while now that Xbox planned to expand into experiences beyond gaming, so we’ll watch with interest to see how this all plays out and what’s ahead for the brand. This is the latest in a busy week of news, following the earlier Xbox town hall and Asha Sharma’s interview with The New York Times, during which she confirmed that Xbox is not for sale.