# BigPark

> Defunct video game developer

**Wikidata**: [Q978096](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q978096)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BigPark)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/bigpark

## Summary

BigPark is a software developer based in Canada. The company was established in 2007.

## Summary
BigPark was a Canadian video-game studio founded in 2007 and owned by Microsoft from 2009 until its closure in 2016. It produced only one commercial title—Kinect Joy Ride (2010)—and was best known as an early internal team that helped launch Microsoft’s Kinect motion-control platform.

## Key Facts
- Founded: 2007 in Vancouver, Canada
- Acquired by Microsoft in 2009; operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary
- Dissolved: 2016
- Legal form: Business corporation
- Industry: Software development / video-game development
- Headquarters: Vancouver, Canada
- Parent company: Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Washington, USA)
- Website: bigpark.com (active until 2016; redirected to microsoft.com from 2017)
- VIAF identifier: 221195368
- Media Arts Database ID (Japan): C44712

## FAQs
### Q: What games did BigPark release?
A: BigPark shipped one retail game—Kinect Joy Ride for Xbox 360 in 2010. The title was bundled with Kinect hardware at launch and showcased motion-controlled kart racing.

### Q: Why did Microsoft close BigPark?
A: Microsoft has not published an official reason; the studio was quietly dissolved in 2016 after Kinect momentum slowed and no follow-up projects were announced.

### Q: Where was BigPark located?
A: The company was headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and operated under that location for its entire nine-year lifespan.

## Why It Matters
BigPark’s importance lies less in its catalog and more in its strategic timing. Microsoft bought the studio in 2009 specifically to secure a first-party team that could deliver a family-friendly, motion-controlled launch title for Kinect, then code-named “Project Natal.” Kinect Joy Ride became a pack-in game that Microsoft used to demonstrate controller-free gaming to retailers, press, and consumers. Although reviews were mixed, the game helped Kinect become the fastest-selling consumer device of 2010 (Guinness World Records, 2011). BigPark’s closure in 2016 coincided with Microsoft’s pivot away from Kinect; the team’s absorption and eventual shuttering signaled the end of Microsoft’s internal push for motion-control exclusives on Xbox.

## Notable For
- One of only a handful of first-party studios created expressly to support Kinect
- Kinect Joy Ride served as a flagship demo title for Kinect’s worldwide marketing campaign
- Operated as a Canadian studio under Microsoft Game Studios during a period when most first-party teams were U.S.-based
- Maintained a small footprint—never expanded beyond a single development location in Vancouver

## Body
### Founding and Acquisition
BigPark Inc. was incorporated in Vancouver in 2007 by industry veterans Wil Mozell, Erik Kiss, and Don Mattrick (who later became President of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business). Microsoft acquired BigPark on 25 May 2009, weeks before Kinect’s public reveal at E3 2009. The acquisition guaranteed Microsoft a dedicated team to build a motion-controlled racing game in time for Kinect’s November 2010 launch.

### Kinect Joy Ride
Kinect Joy Ride shipped 4 November 2010 as part of Kinect’s “Launch Bundle.” The game used full-body tracking to let players steer imaginary steering wheels, perform stunts, and activate power-ups without a physical controller. It supported 1–2 local players and online multiplayer via Xbox Live. Despite criticism for imprecise controls, it sold more than 1 million copies by early 2011, aided by bundle inclusion and stand-alone retail availability.

### Post-Launch Activity
After Kinect Joy Ride, BigPark prototyped other motion-control concepts, but none entered full production. Staff reductions began in 2013 as Kinect hardware sales declined. Microsoft formally dissolved the studio in 2016, redistributing remaining personnel to other internal teams or to Black Tusk Studios (later The Coalition) in Vancouver.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. BnF authorities
3. [Source](http://km.aifb.kit.edu/services/crunchbase/)