Xbox's New XP Division: What's Actually New?

Did you hear about Xbox's fancy new XP division? It sounds exciting, right? But hold on—what's actually new here?

So, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is at it again, reshaping the brand with this new XP division. The name stands for Xbox pictures, products, places, and partnerships—the "four investment areas" now overseen by Kayleen Walters, who used to be president of Mojang Studios. It seems like a bigger push into TV, film, and maybe even theme parks for Xbox. But when you dig deeper, there's really nothing new here, at least not yet.

There's no announcement of new investments in movies or TV shows. No reveal of a new game adaptation for the big or small screen. Instead, it's a lot of celebrating stuff that's been around or in production for years, like the Call of Duty movie and Fallout: Season 3. We also know A Minecraft Movie Squared is on the way (seriously, it should've been called A Nether Minecraft Movie).

In fact, Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball basically admits on Xbox Wire that all of this was already happening: "It brings together capabilities that have existed across various teams at Xbox for years and aligns them behind a shared mission: helping our franchises reach more people, create deeper connections with players and new fans, and unlock new opportunities for these fandoms to grow around the world." So, it's essentially reshuffling the same deck of cards.

Maybe this new department will lead to better returns and more Hollywood movies from Xbox down the line. But right now, it feels like a PR play, especially as Xbox continues to close studios and enact mass layoffs. This also comes just days after Sharma reportedly claimed Xbox has "started to return to growth" at a town-hall meeting, without providing any evidence. Then, today, Circana reported that Xbox hardware unit sales in the US fell 31% this past August compared to August 2025—and were the lowest since August 2020.

So, what do you think? Is XP just a fancy new name, or is there something more to it? Let us know in the comments!