Joy Ride cruising this holiday

Microsoft's community gaming effort has been led by 1 vs. 100, a multiplayer trivia game based on the television show of the same name in which a mob of contestants use their Xbox Live avatars to compete for prizes. The first season, which was available to players free of charge, secured nearly 3 million downloads, with Microsoft saying that the online game averaged some 500,000 users a week.

Along with announcing the download milestone for 1 vs. 100 this week, Microsoft also took the wraps off its next community-gaming initiative headed to Xbox Live, Joy Ride. With the game first announced as part of the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft said this week that the free-to-play, microtransaction-supported racer is expected to arrive on Xbox Live this holiday season.

Joy Ride will let players use their Xbox Live avatars to race and perform stunts across a variety of environments. The game will also offer a range of downloadable content, as players will be able to buy stunt parks, tracks, cars, upgrades, avatar apparel, and events. Microsoft also noted that players will be able to "participate in huge community tasks."

According to Joy Ride's Xbox.com product page, it will support local racing for up to two players, while online competitions accommodate up to eight. The game will also support online leaderboards, voice chat, and 1080p graphical output.

Big Park has been tasked with development duties on Joy Ride. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Joy Ride.