As part of a major overhaul of its gaming division, Microsoft has announced staff changes and the creation of a new division, Xbox XP, aimed at expanding the company's popular gaming franchises into film, television, merchandising, theme parks and more.
As part of a major overhaul of its gaming division, Microsoft has announced staff changes and the creation of a new division, Xbox XP, aimed at expanding the company's popular gaming franchises into film, television, merchandising, theme parks and more.
The changes in senior management were announced by Microsoft's gaming division CEO Asha Sharma, Neowin writes .
From October 19, Maria Angelidou-Smith will take over the position of CEO of Mojang and the Minecraft franchise.
Before joining Microsoft, she worked at Meta for nearly a decade, where she led Facebook Groups, Events, Creators, and Monetization, and later served as Chief Product Officer at Reddit.
“We were looking for someone who had built community products at scale, had deep technical expertise, and understood how creators, product, technology, and monetization all fit together. Maria brings a wealth of experience to Mojang, along with a respect for what makes Minecraft special,” said Asha Sharma.
Former Mojang president Kaylin Walters will lead the newly created Xbox XP division.
Walters has over a decade of experience at Lucasfilm, where she has worked on film, product and partnership development for the Star Wars universe. She also served as an executive producer on A Minecraft Movie and will produce its upcoming sequel.
According to Asha Sharma, the Xbox XP division will cover four key areas of investment:
Xbox Pictures — adaptation of games for film and television;
Xbox Products — licensing and merchandising;
Xbox Partnerships — collaboration with sponsors and brands;
Xbox Places — organization of large-scale events, broadcasts, creation of theme parks and location-based entertainment.
“Our franchises can mean so much more to people than just the time spent playing the game. Kaylin knows how to build these experiences in collaboration with the industry without losing what people love about these universes in the first place,” Sharma added.
According to management, amid ongoing restructuring, the Xbox division has finally returned to growth after a long period of stagnation.
