With Series X, Microsoft has no more excuses for first party software droughts

[DonFerrari]

TheMisterManGuy said:

shikamaru317 said:

2nd party as I see it are games that are published by a platform holder (Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft for instance), but not developed by an owned internal studio.

I find 2nd party flawed as a concept because that can apply to anything. Would Fire Emblem be considered 2nd party? Intelligent Systems isn't technically owned by Nintendo, yet many consider it a first party IP anyway. What about Ratchet & Clank? Insomniac for the longest time was an independent company, yet Ratchet was still considered a first party PlayStation IP. These "2nd party games" are also still being worked on by first party development staff anyway, so the distinction is rather pointless. Sony's Japan, Santa Monica, London, and San Diego studios have worked on a variety of games from independent companies, as have Gruella Games and Media Molecule. Nintendo's EPD division has its hand in practically every game the company publishes, and one of Xbox' studios, is a unit who's sole function is to just oversee games from independent companies. 

Basically anything published by the Platform holder in my eyes, is a first party game, as the publisher is still calling the shots on the game's development. 

The concept is actually well defined.

1st party - Studios of the platform holder

3rd party - Independent studios working on their own IPs (can be multiplatform or exclusive)

2nd party - comissioned work, IP is owned by platform holder and studio still have independence but almost only develop for that platform.

So Insomniac was a second party for Sony since almost all games were on Sony consoles and Sony owned the IPs, but let's say Atlus is third party as is the Ryu ga Gotoku team from Sega even if most of their games were exclusives to Sony or Insomniac when making Sunset Overdrive that was exclusive to MS.