Xbox Launches XP, a New Division Dedicated to Film, TV, Live Events, and Consumer Products

Xbox officially leveled up its ambitions outside the traditional video game ecosystem, launching a centralized division called XP to oversee its expanding universe of film, television, consumer products and live events. The new unit’s moniker operates as a heavy-handed play on the classic gaming term “experience points,” signaling a strategic pivot toward broader cultural dominance. Chief strategy officer Matthew Ball formally announced the launch of XP via a blog post, setting a massive target on the industry’s back: according to Ball, the move is a core part of the brand’s ultimate goal to become the number one entertainment company in the world. Rather than keeping these crossover efforts fragmented, the new division strictly centralizes transmedia work that was previously handled by various separate teams across the massive company.

The XP architecture is aggressively structured around four formalized investment areas designed to monopolize fan attention across all mediums. Xbox Pictures focuses heavily on bringing gaming worlds to new audiences through film, television and linear storytelling. Fans looking for physical gear will be fed by Xbox Products, a branch dedicated to creating items that allow audiences to celebrate and express their favorite franchises. In the physical and digital realm, Xbox Places organizes live events, immersive experiences, attractions, broadcasts and destinations. Finally, Xbox Partnerships operates as the brand’s cultural bridge, developing sponsorships and brand partnerships with creators, brands and communities.

To steer this massive Hollywood and lifestyle crossover, Kayleen Walters stepped up to serve as the president of the new XP division. Walters transitioned into the role after heading Mojang, where she recently proved her crossover capabilities by serving as an executive producer on the adaptation of A Minecraft Movie. Her departure triggered a high-profile leadership shuffle, with Maria Angelidou-Smith leaving her position as Reddit’s chief product officer to become the new CEO of Mojang and Minecraft, a role she will officially begin on October 19.

The formation of XP marks a formalized corporate push by Xbox into transmedia, capitalizing on the massive Hollywood success of recent adaptations like A Minecraft Movie and the Fallout series. This centralized structure delivers on CEO Asha Sharma’s initiative to build long-term, multi-platform plans for the brand’s franchises amidst a turbulent broader organizational restructuring, effectively weaponizing gaming intellectual property to position the company as an omnipresent cultural lifestyle heavyweight. Sharma, who took over the top job in February, sent an internal email to employees detailing the XP division changes, framing the launch as part of a broader business reset that has recently included sweeping company layoffs and structural changes to existing studios.

This strategic overhaul arrives as the company has a massive slate of crossover projects currently in active development, including a sequel to A Minecraft Movie and a highly anticipated Call of Duty film. On the streaming front, Xbox is also developing a third season of Prime Video’s Fallout live-action series alongside a Diablo animated series for Netflix. While Microsoft previously established a film and television adaptation division called Xbox Entertainment Studios in 2012 only to shut it down two years later, this modern XP initiative leverages proven recent successes to permanently cement the platform’s status as a dominant transmedia powerhouse.