Xbox Creates XP Division for Film, TV and Live Events, Led by Kayleen Walters

Xbox announced it will form a new division called XP focused on film and television adaptations, consumer products, partnerships, and live experiences. Kayleen Walters, currently president of Mojang, will lead the new division, according to Kotaku.

XP formalizes four investment areas: Xbox Pictures, Xbox Products, Xbox Places, and Xbox Partnerships. Maria Angelidou-Smith, former chief product officer at Reddit, will replace Walters as head of Mojang. Both Walters and Angelidou-Smith will report to Xbox head Asha Sharma.

XP will oversee projects including the Minecraft movie sequel Minecraft Squared, the Fallout TV series, an upcoming Call of Duty film, and a Diablo animated series. It will also collaborate with Kojima on Physint, which Xbox picked up after Sony dropped it, and will be in charge of live events including BlizzCon and Minecraft Live, plus partnerships such as theme parks.

Background

Walters has been with Microsoft for eight years, working on Minecraft the entire time, including as executive producer on A Minecraft Movie. Prior to Microsoft, she worked in marketing at Lucasfilm, eventually becoming VP of franchise marketing and integrated planning, and also worked at MGM and Universal.