Microsoft Xbox Launches XP Division to Extend Franchises Beyond Games

Microsoft Xbox announced on Wednesday the launch of a new division called XP, aimed at extending its properties beyond video games. According to Deadline, the name is a play on "experience points" and comprises four components: Xbox Pictures, Xbox Products, Xbox Partnerships and Xbox Places.

Kayleen Walters, a former Lucasfilm executive, has been named president of XP. Walters spent 13 years at Lucasfilm working on Star Wars and helped grow Xbox's consumer products arm into a multi-billion-dollar business with more than 250 licenses.

In addition, Maria Angelidou-Smith is joining Xbox as CEO of Mojang and Minecraft after nearly a decade at Meta.

XP will house Xbox's growing slate of film and television projects. Walters was an executive producer of A Minecraft Movie and is a full producer on its sequel, which is currently in production.

The new division builds on recent cross-media momentum. Fallout titles on Xbox Game Pass saw a 5x increase in hours played during Fallout's first season on Prime Video. Meanwhile, Minecraft saw over a 75% increase in weekly active users of the game year-over-year since the movie's release in the spring of 2025.

Other entertainment companies have also found success adapting game franchises. Sony revived Resident Evil last month and HBO drew big viewership and critical praise with The Last of Us. In 2023, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $23 billion.