Xbox Officially Launches XP, a New Division Focused on Movies, TV, Merch, and More

Xbox has officially launched XP (“experience”), a new division built around the simple idea that its biggest franchises can exist in plenty of places beyond a game. The new division will cover movies and television, merchandise, live experiences, and partnerships, giving Microsoft a dedicated team for the job.

It brings four areas together under the names Xbox Pictures, Xbox Products, Xbox Places, and Xbox Partnerships. It is a sizeable expansion of what Xbox can do with its franchises, especially now that properties such as Minecraft and Fallout have already found audiences outside gaming.

None of this means games are being pushed aside. Xbox assures fans that games will stay at the center of its franchises, with this new division looking for more ways to build around them. In other words, we can think of this new arrangement as more of a formal home for work that Xbox has already been doing, not a sudden change in direction for the brand.

What Xbox’s New XP Division Will Handle

Four pillars, one ambitious plan. | Credit: Xbox/Microsoft

Kayleen Walters has been appointed President of the newly launched division, moving from her role at Mojang. Before joining Microsoft, Walters spent 13 years at Lucasfilm, while her time at Mojang included overseeing the growth of Minecraft’s consumer products business and work surrounding A Minecraft Movie.

As detailed in the official announcement post on XBOX Wire, the four parts of XP each have a different job. Xbox Pictures will handle film, television, and other linear storytelling, while Xbox Products will focus on licensed merchandise. Xbox Places covers live events, attractions, immersive experiences, and broadcasts, with Xbox Partnerships handling creators, brands, sponsorships, and other collaborations.

There is already plenty for the division to work with. A sequel to A Minecraft Movie is in development, Fallout Season 3 is in production, Paramount is developing a Call of Duty film, and Netflix is working on an animated Diablo series.

That also explains why XP should not be mistaken for an Xbox movie studio. Film and television are only one part of the plan. Microsoft is bringing products, physical experiences, and outside partnerships into the same structure, giving its major franchises more room to grow beyond their original games.

Xbox Is Catching Up To PlayStation

Better late than never! | Credits: PlayStation/Sony

Sony has been working this angle for years through PlayStation Productions, which has already taken franchises including The Last of Us, Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal, Uncharted, and Until Dawn into movies and television. Compared with that, Xbox is arriving at the organized franchise strategy rather late.

That said, Xbox has been here before. Microsoft launched Xbox Entertainment Studios in 2012 to develop original programming, only for the division to be shut down two years later in October 2014 (via IGN). The difference now is the scale of the plan, with XP bringing film and TV together with products, live experiences, and partnerships.

There is also a much bigger collection of franchises behind the effort today. Thanks to its recent mergers and acquisitions, Xbox now has Minecraft, Fallout, Call of Duty, Diablo, Warcraft, and numerous other properties that already have audiences far beyond a single game. If the new division can connect those audiences without losing what made the games appealing in the first place, the late start may not matter as much as some skeptics may think.

Is Xbox genuinely playing catch up with PlayStation, or could the XP division eventually grow into the more ambitious version of the latter’s strategy? Which Xbox franchise would you most like to see expanded beyond games? Let us know in the comments below!