Minecraft developer Mojang has welcomed a new CEO. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced that Maria Angelidou-Smith will succeed Kayleen Walters as Mojang's CEO; Walters will transition to lead Xbox's XP division.
The XP division focuses on how players engage with the brand beyond gameplay, covering areas such as film adaptations and licensing. During Walters' tenure at Mojang, Minecraft had over 250 licensing partners.
Angelidou-Smith previously focused on social and community product businesses. From 2014 to 2022, she worked at Meta, overseeing Facebook app monetization, Groups, and Dating, before becoming Reddit's Chief Product Officer last November.
In an internal memo, Sharma stated that Mojang already has a development team familiar with Minecraft and its player base. She values Angelidou-Smith's experience in large-scale community products, technology, creator ecosystems, and monetization. The memo noted that Angelidou-Smith's top priority upon taking office is to learn from the team and the community.