Remember when Xbox kept harping on about TV with the Xbox One? Or the defunct Xbox Entertainment Studios? It’s taking another swing with XP, a new division led by Kayleen Walters. Former Reddit chief product officer Maria Angelidou-Smith replaces her as Mojang’s studio president.
In a new memo (as reported by Variety), Walters said, “XP was created from a simple but powerful belief: the world’s most beloved gaming franchises have an opportunity to reach people far beyond the boundaries of the game itself. Fans don’t just play our franchises. They watch them, wear them, attend them, celebrate them, and connect with them in countless ways. XP brings together the teams responsible for helping Xbox franchises show up in the world in bigger, more meaningful ways.”
Chief strategy officer Matthew Ball has outlined the four areas the division would focus on. Xbox Pictures brings “our worlds and characters to new audiences through film, television, and other forms of linear storytelling.” Xbox Products is about “creating products that are authentic to the fandom that allow fans to celebrate and express the franchises they love,” which sounds more like merchandising.
Xbox Places focuses on “live events, immersive experiences, attractions, broadcasts, and destinations” while Xbox Partnerships entails sponsorships, brand partnerships and working with communities/creators for “new experiences.”
While it’s tempting to mock Xbox for pursuing this direction again, the circumstances are quite different. A Minecraft Movie and Amazon’s Fallout series have been massive successes, and other adaptations in the works include Call of Duty and Gears of War films, and an animated Diablo series. Xbox also tied up with Kojima Productions for the film and TV rights to Physint (besides publishing the game), and you have to assume something similar is planned for the horror game OD.
How far can it go, especially as the company pushes to launch follow-ups to its biggest franchises, like Fallout, more quickly? Time will tell, so stay tuned for updates.
