Xbox Launches XP to Run Films, Merch, Live Events and Brand Deals
Xbox is launching XP, a new division for everything outside video games. The announcement came in a blog post from chief strategy officer Matthew Ball, with CEO Asha Sharma outlining the move and related leadership changes to employees in a separate email The Verge.
XP will cover films and TV adaptations, consumer products, live events, and partnerships with creators and brands. It is organized into four investment areas named Xbox Pictures, Xbox Products, Xbox Places and Xbox Partnerships, according to the same October 8 reporting.
Xbox Pictures will bring Xbox worlds and characters to new audiences through film, television and linear storytelling. Linear storytelling here means a fixed story told start to finish, like a film. Xbox Products will create products allowing fans to celebrate and express the franchises they love. The definitions come directly from the announcement materials Xbox Wire.
Xbox Places will focus on live events, immersive experiences, attractions, broadcasts and destinations. Xbox Partnerships will work with creators, brands and communities on new experiences, sponsorships and brand partnerships.
Kayleen Walters will lead XP as president after heading Mojang. Maria Angelidou-Smith will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft starting October 19th. Angelidou-Smith is leaving her role as Reddit's chief product officer to take the Mojang role.
The slate is already in motion. Xbox is developing a sequel to A Minecraft Movie, a third season of Prime Video's Fallout live-action series, a Call of Duty film, and a Diablo animated series for Netflix The Verge.
Microsoft established Xbox Entertainment Studios in 2012 and shut it down two years later.
The broader context here is operational rather than creative. Game studios run on tight schedules and budgets. When adaptations, licensing and live events share the same budget and profit account, known as a P&L, they compete with game production. Giving pictures, products, places and partnerships their own staffing, deal flow and accountability leaves game studios to ship games.
In my view, that separation is what will determine whether XP extends the life of these franchises or simply adds overhead. A Minecraft sequel, Fallout, Call of Duty and Diablo give the new division existing IP with proven audiences outside consoles and PC, which lowers execution risk. Worth flagging for technology professionals is the quiet infrastructure question underneath, from rights management and asset pipelines to live-event tooling and commerce systems. If Xbox gets that plumbing right, the long-arc payoff is more entry points into its worlds for people who may never buy a console.
