What really is first party nowadays? Definition of first/second/third party games.

[akira__]

Seriously, dudes be nice to eachother.
Let's disagree with each other but keep it nice.

Ontopic:
Xbox will become the first to have games in all those categories at the same time. First, second and third party titles.

Xbox keeps winning.

 

[arvfab]

A game is first party when it's published by the platform holder, independently if that platform holder owns the IP or not.

Stellar Blade, Helldivers 2, Death Stranding and Uncharted are PlayStation first party games because Sony published them. On PC they are third party because Sony doesn't own PC/Steam.

Demon's Souls, Bloodborne and Death Stranding were published and supported by the XDEV team of Japan Studio. So since they are published by Sony they are first party games.

The Last Guardian was a game internally developed and published by Japan Studio like Knack, Gravity Rush or Astro Bot. Even if around a dozen or so Japan Studio folks (out of over 500 people who worked in the game) left/were fired at the later part of the development and completed their job from GenDesign. It's published by Sony, so it's a first party game.

Hi-Fi Rush is first party on Xbox, third party on PlayStation. Because it's published by the platform holder in Xbox but not in PlayStation.

Another clueless one

 

[Yurinka]

First party games are those published by the platform holder, independently of how owns the IP.

Second party games are the first party games (so published by the platform holder) whose lead dev studio isn't owned by the platform holder, independently of who owns the IP.

Third party games are those published by someone who isn't the platform holder, independently of who owns the IP.

And a troll who should be banned is the one who constantly puts the laugh emoji to my explanations.

 

[ethomaz]

A game is first party when it's published by the platform holder, independently if that platform holder owns the IP or not.

Stellar Blade, Helldivers 2, Death Stranding and Uncharted are PlayStation first party games because Sony published them. On PC they are third party because Sony doesn't own PC/Steam.

Demon's Souls, Bloodborne and Death Stranding were published and supported by the XDEV team of Japan Studio. So since they are published by Sony they are first party games.

The Last Guardian was a game internally developed and published by Japan Studio like Knack, Gravity Rush or Astro Bot. Even if around a dozen or so Japan Studio folks (out of over 500 people who worked in the game) left/were fired at the later part of the development and completed their job from GenDesign. It's published by Sony, so it's a first party game.

Hi-Fi Rush is first party on Xbox, third party on PlayStation. Because it's published by the platform holder in Xbox but not in PlayStation.

Owning the IP isn't related to be first party or not. 2nd party games, which also are 1st party games, often use IPs not owned by the platform holder. And there are first party games like Spider-Man 2 or Wolverine, who use licensed IPs not owned by the platform holder.

Who owns the IP is the one who decides if they make ports, sequels, merchandising, adaptations etc. of that IP and who has the last word about it. And gets whatever revenue share generated by these products according to whatever they negogiate in each case.

Stellar Blade are 3rd-party exclusive on PlayStation.

 

[Gediminas]

Stellar Blade are 3rd-party exclusive on PlayStation.

Stellar Blade is outlayer. It is more in gray area, as first party devs worked on it and Playstation invested money in it to become the game it is. But they don't own studio or ip.

 

[arvfab]

Stellar Blade is outlayer. It is more in gray area, as first party devs worked on it and Playstation invested money in it to become the game it is. But they don't own studio or ip.

You are correct, but it's still 3rd party, no gray area. We have heard of Sony devs helping out other non-Sony devs in the past already, never was there anyone mentioning those games to be 1st party.

Same as Microsoft devs going to help to make Baldurs Gate 3 work on their console.

 

[MrAss]

First party - Sony owns the game.

 

[Gediminas]

You are correct, but it's still 3rd party, no gray area. We have heard of Sony devs helping out other non-Sony devs in the past already, never was there anyone mentioning those games to be 1st party.

Same as Microsoft devs going to help to make Baldurs Gate 3 work on their console.

one thing is to make game work on X system, the other to make a game. i am not conflicting the Two. if Playstation devs making a game, effectively, it is first party studio developing 3rd party game add money on top? = gray area as there are very few games which really match it.
this is how i see it at least, to lessen confusion in description.

 

[ethomaz]

Stellar Blade is outlayer. It is more in gray area, as first party devs worked on it and Playstation invested money in it to become the game it is. But they don't own studio or ip.

IMO I don’t think Sony helping the development or funding the game makes it 1st-party… Sony do that with a lot of 3rd-party games.

I just want to say that Sony publishing the game doesn’t make it 1st-party.

There are a lot of examples that prove that… it just time consuming to check all them but… I can give some examples from my mind:

Marvel’s Iron Man VR: 3rd-party game published by Sony.
Ghostbusters: 3rd-party game published by Sony (Europe).

These are Sony published games that are not 1st-party.
Same for Stellar Blade.

Unless Sony buys the IP or developer it will continue being a 3rd-party exclusive.

 

[Gediminas]

IMO I don’t think Sony helping the development or funding the game makes it 1st-party… Sony do that with a lot of 3rd-party games.

I just want to say that Sony publishing the game doesn’t make it 1st-party.

There are a lot of examples that prove that… it just time consuming to check all them but… I can give some examples from my mind:

Marvel’s Iron Man VR: 3rd-party game published by Sony.
Ghostbusters: 3rd-party game published by Sony (Europe).

These are Sony published games that are not 1st-party.
Same for Stellar Blade.

Unless Sony buys the IP or developer it will continue being a 3rd-party exclusive.

i didn't say, it makes it 1st party. anywhere.

publishing rights, doesn't determine is it 1st, 2nd or 3rd party.

 

[Hezekiah]

A game is first party when it's published by the platform holder, independently if that platform holder owns the IP or not.

Stellar Blade, Helldivers 2, Death Stranding and Uncharted are PlayStation first party games because Sony published them. On PC they are third party because Sony doesn't own PC/Steam.

Demon's Souls, Bloodborne and Death Stranding were published and supported by the XDEV team of Japan Studio. So since they are published by Sony they are first party games.

The Last Guardian was a game internally developed and published by Japan Studio like Knack, Gravity Rush or Astro Bot. Even if around a dozen or so Japan Studio folks (out of over 500 people who worked in the game) left/were fired at the later part of the development and completed their job from GenDesign. It's published by Sony, so it's a first party game.

Hi-Fi Rush is first party on Xbox, third party on PlayStation. Because it's published by the platform holder in Xbox but not in PlayStation.

Owning the IP isn't related to be first party or not. 2nd party games, which also are 1st party games, often use IPs not owned by the platform holder. And there are first party games like Spider-Man 2 or Wolverine, who use licensed IPs not owned by the platform holder.

Who owns the IP is the one who decides if they make ports, sequels, merchandising, adaptations etc. of that IP and who has the last word about it. And gets whatever revenue share generated by these products according to whatever they negogiate in each case.

I specifically refer to those as second-party but some people get triggered by the term

But yeah if it's published by SIE it's Sony first-party.

 

[CrackmanNL]

We've had Layden on record on WUPS explaining the differences. I've posted this before not going to bother with the discussion, timestamp @17:37

Shift Up has an official 2nd party contract with Sony.

Rip in peace playstation
1994 - 2024

We will have the Game Awards soon to confirm with PS domination that it's over as well.

 

[arvfab]

If you told me back in 2006 that PlayStation fans would be unironically using revenues & profits as a way to boast about the brand, I'd of laughed my ass off.

Yet here we are. LITERALLY people cheerleading for revenues & profits, as if that's all that matters to a gamer or hobbyist in the scene.

Gaming has regressed

And we are the "interesting" ones

 

[Gediminas]

If you told me back in 2006 that PlayStation fans would be unironically using revenues & profits as a way to boast about the brand, I'd of laughed my ass off.

Yet here we are. LITERALLY people cheerleading for revenues & profits, as if that's all that matters to a gamer or hobbyist in the scene.

Gaming has regressed

that's the difference between real gamers, hobbyist and bean counters.

 

[Yurinka]

9-Month Profits in 2024 :
PlayStation - $2.03 billion
Nintendo - $1.22 billion
EA - $984 million
Konami - $475 million
Bandai Namco - $273 million
Capcom - $199 million
Ubisoft - -$89 million (loss)

Profits in the last quarter :
PlayStation - $908 million
Nintendo - $440 million
EA - $384 million
Konami - $149 million
Bandai Namco - $96 million
Capcom - $51 million
Ubisoft - -$294 million (loss

Rip in peace playstation
1994 - 2024

Yes, some people say PS is dead but the factual, objective numbers to measure its performance say the opposite.

 

[arvfab]

Shift Up has an official 2nd party contract with Sony.

IP belongs to Shift-Up. The moment the exclusivity agreement ends (unless PlayStation bought it permanently), they can port it where they want. Similar regarding sequels, spin-offs, etc.

Thus the game is 3rd party.

 

[CrackmanNL]

IP belongs to Shift-Up. The moment the exclusivity agreement ends (unless PlayStation bought it permanently), they can port it where they want. Similar regarding sequels, spin-offs, etc.

Thus the game is 3rd party.

In public documents they have signed a 2nd party contract. Not my words, Sony's and Shift Up.
I agree IP ownership moves closer to 1st party line, none closer to 3rd party line if you get more intricate in the 2nd party discourse.

There's a grey area in the middle and variables in contractual obligations like IP ownership where people have discussions and there are definitions within, I am not here to argue about that cause it gets convoluted. For example Insomniac makes SM games. It's exclusive and by an owned studio, but Disney can potentially take the license away.

 

[ethomaz]

I specifically refer to those as second-party but some people get triggered by the term

But yeah if it's published by SIE it's Sony first-party.

That doesn’t even make sense.
Maybe you guys are well new to PlayStation but if you say games published by Sony is first-party then a lot of games for PS1 / PS2 were first-party… but they weren’t.

Destruction Derby was published by Sony and it was 3rd-party.
3D Lemmings was published by Sony and it was 3rd1party.

Even WipEout only become 1st party after Sony brought them… on PS1 it was a 3rd-party game published by Sony.

Singstar, Blood & Truth, etc all 3rd-party published by Sony.

Edit - These games where already part of Sony.

 

[Hezekiah]

That doesn’t even make sense.
Maybe you guys are well new to PlayStation but if you say games published by Sony is first-party then a lot of games for PS2 were first-party… but they weren’t.

Destruction Derby was published by Sony and it was 3rd-party.
3D Lemmings was published by Sony and it was 3rd1party.

Even WipEout only become 1st party after Sony brought them… on PS1 it was a 3rd-party game published by Sony.

Singstar, Blood & Truth, etc all 3rd-party published by Sony.

No I'm not new to Playstation I've owned every one...I'm just not a thicko

 

[ethomaz]

No I'm not new to Playstation I've owned every one...I'm just not a thicko

So you know you are wrong
That is fair too.