Xbox announced the creation of a dedicated entertainment division named XP and appointed former Reddit chief product officer Maria Angelidou-Smith as the new chief executive officer of Mojang and the Minecraft franchise. The leadership appointments, communicated to employees by Xbox chief executive officer Asha Sharma on Thursday, October 8, 2026, establish a new structure designed to manage gaming franchises across film, live events, consumer products, and digital communities.
Under the corporate reorganization, Kayleen Walters departs her role as head of Swedish game studio Mojang to serve as president of the XP division. Both Walters and Angelidou-Smith will report directly to Sharma as the technology company expands intellectual properties beyond traditional video game consoles and personal computers.
Key details of the Xbox leadership announcement in Redmond
- Announcement date and time: Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 08:57 BRT
- Corporate headquarters location: Redmond, Washington, United States
- Internal strategy briefing: Xbox Town Hall held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026
- Start date for Maria Angelidou-Smith at Mojang: Monday, October 19, 2026
- Executive reporting line: Both division heads report directly to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma
Structure of the Xbox XP division across four core business areas
The newly formed unit derives its title from the gaming shorthand for experience points. The division consolidates multimedia initiatives, licensing programs, and location-based operations into four dedicated investment branches. Sharma explained the organizational framework directly in the company announcement: “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.”
Learn more: Microsoft prepares mass layoffs at Xbox and announces 100-day restructuring
Matthew Ball, chief strategy officer of Xbox, outlined that expanding properties into broader consumer ecosystems requires an approach anchored in their origins. “Kayleen understands that the strongest franchises grow by remaining true to what and who made them special while creating new ways for fans, creators, partners, and communities to participate,” Ball stated.
Walters arrived at Mojang in February 2025 after a 13-year tenure at Lucasfilm, where she helped guide commercial development, merchandising, and brand collaborations for the Star Wars franchise. At Mojang, she served as executive producer of A Minecraft Movie and is attached as a producer for its sequel, while expanding consumer licensing agreements to more than 250 global partners. Sharma noted that Walters brings direct expertise in managing creative projects across entertainment sectors: “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.”
See also: Xbox allows digitalization of physical games and surpasses PlayStation in the transition to digital
Maria Angelidou-Smith takes charge of Mojang and Minecraft
Maria Angelidou-Smith officially assumes leadership of Mojang and Minecraft on Monday, October 19, 2026, bringing extensive executive background in software product development and digital community platforms. She previously served as chief product officer at Reddit and spent nearly a decade as an executive at Meta, where she managed products including Facebook Groups, Events, Creators, Search, Profile, and Monetization.
Xbox leadership highlighted the operational requirements of managing a gaming platform with massive user interaction when selecting the studio executive. “We wanted someone who has built products for communities at enormous scale, who is deeply technical, and who understands how creators, product, technology, and monetization come together,” Sharma stated in the memorandum sent to staff globally.
Angelidou-Smith will focus initially on meeting development teams in Stockholm and community groups that maintain the game’s ecosystem. While Mojang retains its existing core game engineering and design leadership, her role centers on scaling platform tools, supporting community modifications, and coordinating creator monetization frameworks.
Operating metrics across Xbox properties and incoming leadership
- 4 formal business divisions operating under the XP umbrella: Pictures, Products, Partnerships, and Places
- More than 425 million total copies of Minecraft sold worldwide, up from 350 million at the start of Walters’ tenure
- More than 250 active licensing partners established for Minecraft consumer merchandise
- More than 1.8 billion monthly active users on Facebook Groups during Angelidou-Smith’s leadership at Meta
- 13 years spent by Walters overseeing entertainment franchise development at Lucasfilm
Multimedia strategy following television and film adaptations
The creation of XP follows substantial commercial returns from video game adaptations produced by Xbox and its partner studios. Recent media projects include the theatrical release of A Minecraft Movie, which became the highest-grossing film in the United States during the previous year and finished among the top five releases worldwide, as well as the television adaptation of Fallout on the Prime Video streaming service.
During Walters’ tenure at Mojang, Minecraft expanded its commercial footprint significantly, growing its cumulative global sales from 350 million copies to more than 425 million copies sold. The growth in game unit sales coincided with an expansion of branded apparel, physical merchandise, and interactive live experiences that established Minecraft as a multibillion-dollar licensing brand across global retail channels.
The structural changes tie directly into the broader corporate vision presented by Sharma during an internal Xbox Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. That presentation outlined the executive team’s four Cs framework, covering Core, Content, Creator, and Connection, with the XP division and Mojang appointments explicitly designed to support creator platforms and fan connections.
Unconfirmed details regarding upcoming Minecraft operational adjustments
Xbox has not detailed operational changes to the monetization model or technical updates planned for Minecraft under Angelidou-Smith’s leadership. The company indicated that additional roadmap information will emerge after Angelidou-Smith begins her tenure as Mojang chief executive officer on Monday, October 19, 2026.