Xbox doubles down on TV and movie adaptations with big announcement

Xbox's foray into the worlds of film and TV is set to continue with the reveal of new entertainment division XP.

Video game adaptations have proven a hit in recent years, with the likes of The Last of Us, Resident Evil and more racking up plenty of praise from both gamers and general audiences.

And with several Microsoft IP finding their own success, such as Minecraft and Fallout, Xbox has seen fit to capitalise on it with a new division.

In a press release, Xbox has announced XP, a division with the focus of "reaching fans beyond gameplay through film and television adaptations, consumer products, partnerships, and live experiences."

The division will be split between four distinct areas of investment: Xbox Pictures, Xbox Products, Xbox Partnerships and Xbox Places, with Mojang president and A Minecraft Movie executive producer Kayleen Walters appointed as president.

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On the announcement, Walters said in an internal email, "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."

Alongside the upcoming A Minecraft Movie sequel, Minecraft Squared, and season 3 of the Fallout TV show, XP is working on a number of other projects.

On the film and TV front, XP placed a focus on Taylor Sheridan's Call of Duty movie, a recently announced Diablo animated series, and a partnership with Hideo Kojima concerning the film and TV rights of his upcoming game Physint.

Outside of those adaptations, the press release remarked on the success of this year's BlizzCon, Minecraft Live, a WWE campaign for Gears of War, a partnership with IKEA and an upcoming Minecraft theme park.

Now, if we could just get some news on the next Xbox console, that would be wonderful.

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Authors

Alex Raisbeck is a Gaming Writer at Radio Times, covering everything from AAA giants to indie gems. Alex has written for VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, PCGamesN and more.