Minecraft creator Mojang has a new studio head in Kayleen Walters, who is taking over effective immediately.
Per Variety, current chief Åsa Bredin will remain on and guide Walters through her new position until the end of February, then leave to “focus on personal goals outside of work.” She joined Mojang in 2021 and was promoted to studio head in 2023.
In addition to running Mojang, Walters will continue as Microsoft Gaming’s VP and head of franchise development. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2018, she worked at Lucasfilm and rose to become its VP of franchise marketing and planning.
“This is an amazing opportunity to lead such a talented group of individuals and continue to build on the legacy of one of the most beloved games in the world,” wrote Walters on LinkedIn. “I am looking forward to working closely with the team to bring even more creativity, innovation, and fun to our community.”
More leaders come to Mojang
Walters’ arrival isn’t the only shakeup to Mojang. Variety also reports Microsoft’s content and studios head Amy Stillion will join the developer’s leadership team and run its people experience team in Redmond, WA.
Stillion joined Mojang in 2019 as chief of staff, then moved to a similar position for all of Microsoft Gaming in early 2024.
In an internal email to Mojang staff, Minecraft franchise VP Helen Chiang said its new leadership and “clear vision for the future [makes us] well-positioned to tackle the challenges we face in the marketplace with speed and momentum.”