Microsoft Announces Xbox XP Entertainment Initiative Focused on Movies and TV

As part of Microsoft’s ongoing reset of its gaming division, Xbox has announced the creation of Xbox XP. This new division will span film and television, consumer products, strategic partnerships, and live experiences.

The announcement follows the box office success of 2025’s A Minecraft Movie and the popularity of Prime Video’s Fallout.

According to an announcement on Xbox Wire by Matthew Ball, chief strategy officer at Xbox, XP will focus on four main investment areas:

• Xbox Pictures: Bringing our worlds and characters to new audiences through film, television, and other forms of linear storytelling.
• Xbox Products: Creating products that are authentic to the fandom that allow fans to celebrate and express the franchises they love.
• Xbox Places: Bringing communities together through live events, immersive experiences, attractions, broadcasts, and destinations.
• Xbox Partnerships: Working with creators, brands, and communities to develop new experiences, sponsorships, and brand partnerships.

Kayleen Walters will lead XP. She previously worked at Lucasfilm and served as president of Mojang, the developer behind Minecraft. During her time at Mojang, she also worked as an executive producer on A Minecraft Movie. Mari Angelidou-Smith, formerly of Meta and Reddit, will take over as head of Mojang. Both Walters and Angelidou-Smith will report directly to Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox.

In an email to Xbox staff, Ball wrote that XP brings together capabilities that have existed across various teams at Xbox for years. He stated that it aligns them behind a shared mission to help franchises reach more people, create deeper connections with players and new fans, and unlock new opportunities for these fandoms to grow around the world.

Ball added that great games remain at the center of these franchises and at the heart of Xbox. He noted that XP will partner with top creative minds across company studios and trusted partners to build on that foundation and create more ways for people to experience the worlds they love.

This initiative is the latest major announcement from Sharma, who became CEO earlier in the year. Her tenure has been defined by efforts to course-correct the company, which has mostly involved multiple rounds of layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. Xbox also remains a priority target of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

What Xbox film and TV projects are in development?

While Xbox Pictures is only one of four investment areas in the new division, it is the most visible. Xbox properties have already found success on screen with A Minecraft Movie alongside adaptations like the short-lived Halo series on Paramount Plus.

Looking ahead, Xbox has several upcoming adaptations scheduled. A second Minecraft movie titled A Minecraft Movie Squared is currently in development, along with the third season of Amazon Prime’s Fallout. Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan are also working on a Call of Duty movie. During BlizzCon, Netflix announced a Diablo animated series. The formation of XP points toward additional adaptations in the future, which may include work from Hideo Kojima following an Xbox deal that saved the espionage game Physint from cancellation by Sony.

Microsoft previously attempted a larger push into Hollywood. Ahead of the Xbox One launch in early 2013, Microsoft founded Xbox Entertainment Studios under former CBS Television executive Nancy Tellem to develop scripted, reality, and interactive programming. Microsoft closed Xbox Entertainment Studios the following year.

Source: Polygon