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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →On October 8, 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced two leadership appointments. Kayleen Walters will leave her role at Mojang to become president of XP, a new Xbox division for experiences built around its franchises beyond games. Maria Angelidou-Smith will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft. Both report to Sharma. XP is an organizational structure and a stated set of areas of work. The announcement did not name a specific film, product, partner or event.
What was announced
The announcement made two appointments and set one reporting line. Each is covered below, with the company’s own description of the people involved.
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Kayleen Walters becomes president of XP
Walters moves from Mojang to lead XP. According to Xbox, she spent 13 years at Lucasfilm, where she helped guide Star Wars across films, products and partnerships. At Mojang, Xbox says she helped grow Minecraft consumer products into a multibillion-dollar business with more than 250 licensees. Xbox also credits her as executive producer of A Minecraft Movie and producer of its sequel. These biographical and business claims come from Xbox’s announcement and have not been independently verified.
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Maria Angelidou-Smith becomes CEO of Mojang and Minecraft
Angelidou-Smith joins from outside Xbox. Xbox describes her product and technology leadership experience at Meta, Personio and Reddit. The announcement says she led Facebook Groups, Events, Creators, Search, Profile and Monetization at Meta, and that Facebook Groups reached more than 1.8 billion people each month. Her announced start date is Monday, October 19, 2026. Xbox says her first priority is to learn from the teams and communities that know Minecraft best.
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Reporting line and timing
Both appointees report to Asha Sharma. The announcement was made on October 8, 2026. Walters’s start in her new role is not given separately in the announcement, and Angelidou-Smith’s October 19 date is the only start date stated.
What XP is meant to do
According to Xbox, XP brings together capabilities that already existed across Xbox teams and organizes them into four areas. The company presents this as a structure for work that was previously spread out, not as a list of new projects.
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| XP area | What Xbox says it covers |
|---|---|
| Xbox Pictures | Film, television and other linear storytelling |
| Xbox Products | Licensing and merchandise |
| Xbox Places | Live events, immersive experiences, attractions, broadcasts and destinations |
| Xbox Partnerships | Work with creators, brands and communities, including sponsorships and brand partnerships |
Xbox says games remain the foundation of these franchises, and that XP will work with studios and outside creative partners. This is the company’s stated intention. It is not a schedule, and it does not establish any particular release date, partnership or commercial result.
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How the division relates to games
The two official statements about XP frame the division from different angles. Sharma described its focus as “how people experience our franchises beyond the games themselves.” The XP announcement states: “Great games remain at the center of these franchises and at the heart of XBOX.” Sharma’s words describe the division’s scope, and the XP announcement describes the priority within it. Read together, they position XP as an extension of franchise work rather than a replacement for game development.
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Who leads Xbox now
The appointments sit inside a wider leadership change that Microsoft announced earlier in 2026. On February 20, 2026, Microsoft said Sharma would become executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, reporting to Satya Nadella, and that Matt Booty would become executive vice president and chief content officer. Phil Spencer said he would stay in an advisory role through the summer to support the handoff. The same announcement said Sarah Bond had decided to leave Microsoft.
Microsoft’s editor’s note says that, effective April 23, 2026, Microsoft Gaming became known as XBOX, and Sharma’s title became CEO XBOX.
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- CUSTOM PROFILES: Save up to 3 custom profiles on the controller and switch between them on the fly.*
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Xbox’s current leadership roster lists Sharma as CEO, Walters as president of XP, Angelidou-Smith as CEO of Mojang, and Booty as chief content officer. It also lists executives including Helen Chiang, Matthew Ball and Scott Van Vliet. Titles on a live roster can change, so use it for the latest details.
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Matt Booty also described changes to studio remits in September 2026. These include an expanded remit for Activision, an expanded Bethesda remit that brings in Obsidian, and a combined Playground and Turn 10 studio focused on Forza and Fable. These changes were not part of the October XP appointments and should be read as a separate development.
Best Value
- MODERNIZED DESIGN — Experience the modernized design of the XBOX Wireless Controller with sculpted surfaces and updated geometry that enhances comfort and control during long gaming sessions.
- PRECISION PERFORMANCE — Stay on target with a hybrid D-pad and textured grips on triggers, bumpers, and back case for improved accuracy and handling.
- SHARE BUTTON: Seamlessly capture and share content such as screenshots, recordings, and more with the new Share button.
- VERSATILE CONNECTIVITY — Connect via USB-C for plug-and-play on console and PC, or quickly pair and switch between supported devices with XBOX Wireless and Bluetooth support.
- BUILT-IN AUDIO SUPPORT — Plug in compatible headsets using the 3.5mm audio jack for direct voice chat and immersive in-game sound.
Figures Xbox has reported
The announcements include several performance and scale figures. They are Xbox’s own claims. None is an independently audited measure, and most come without a methodology.
| Claim | Source and qualification |
|---|---|
| 13 years at Lucasfilm | Xbox’s description of Walters’s background, 2026 |
| More than 250 licensees | Xbox’s description of Minecraft consumer products under Walters, 2026 |
| Multibillion-dollar Minecraft consumer-products business | Xbox’s description, 2026; no revenue figure or period is given |
| Facebook Groups used by more than 1.8 billion people each month | Xbox’s description of Angelidou-Smith’s Meta work, 2026; a platform figure, not a Minecraft or Xbox metric |
| More than 425 million Minecraft units sold during Walters’s tenure, up from 350 million | Xbox Wire, 2026; no measurement date or methodology is stated |
| Biggest opening weekend ever for a video-game adaptation and number one at the domestic box office | Xbox Wire’s description of A Minecraft Movie, 2026; the comparison method is not specified |
What is and is not established
The October 8 announcement establishes the two appointments, the reporting line, Angelidou-Smith’s start date, the four XP areas and Xbox’s stated intent to keep games central. It does not establish any new film, television series, product line, licensing deal, event or partner for XP. It also does not establish how XP’s work will be measured or funded. Any future project announced under XP would need its own source.
For readers following Minecraft specifically, the practical change is the handoff itself. Walters’s Mojang role is being filled by Angelidou-Smith, and XP takes over the franchise-adjacent work that Walters had been associated with.
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