Xbox has appointed Kayleen Walters as president of its new XP division and named Maria Angelidou-Smith the next CEO of Mojang and Minecraft. Both executives will report to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.
Sharma announced the appointments in an employee message published by Xbox Wire. Walters will move from Mojang to lead XP, while Angelidou-Smith will begin her new role on Monday, October 19.
Walters previously spent 13 years at Lucasfilm, working across Star Wars films, consumer products and partnerships. At Mojang, she helped expand Minecraft’s licensing business and served as an executive producer on A Minecraft Movie and its sequel.
Her new role puts her in charge of Xbox’s newly formed XP division, which brings together four areas: Xbox Pictures for film and television, Xbox Products for merchandise and licensing, Xbox Partnerships for brand collaborations and Xbox Places for events, attractions and other physical experiences.
Angelidou-Smith joins Xbox after holding senior product and technology roles at Meta, Personio and Reddit. At Meta, she led Facebook Groups as well as work across events, creators, search, profiles and monetization. She later served as chief product officer at Reddit.
According to Sharma, Angelidou-Smith’s first priority at Mojang will be learning from the teams and communities that shape Minecraft. The appointment comes as Xbox looks to grow its franchises beyond games while keeping its development studios and player communities at the center of that expansion.
What should Mojang’s new CEO prioritize for Minecraft and its community?
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