In the video game industry, a second-party developer is a developer who, while being a separate entity from any console manufacturer, is tied to a specific one usually through contract or partial ownership and makes games specifically for that console manufacturer. The computer and video game industry is the economic sector involved with the development, marketing and sale of video and computer games. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Console wars. ...
The defining characteristic is that a second-party developer is a company completely separate from the manufacturer, while first-party developers are considered to be a "division" of the console maker itself.
A second-party developer should not be confused with an internal first-party studio. For example, Intelligent Systems, developers of the original Metroid games, is an internal Nintendo studio and therefore not second-party. Camelot Software Planning, developer of the Golden Sun, Mario Golf and Mario Tennis games, is an example of a second-party developer. Intelligent Systems is a video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co. ... Box art of the first Metroid game The Metroid ) games are a series of video games produced by Nintendo. ... Camelot Software Planning is a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendos spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf. ... This article or section may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to be clearer or more simplified. ... Mario Golf is a sports video game that was developed by Camelot Software Planning (known for the successful PlayStation title Hot Shots Golf) and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color and released in 1999. ... Mario Tennis is a video game series that began in 1995 with Marios Tennis for the Game Boy. ...
The term "second-party" however, is not an official business term like "first-party" and "third-party", but is used simply to distinguish between third-party developers who develop games for various video game consoles, and developers who while still a third-party, provide software only for a single video-game console.
USAGE NOTE Party is unexceptionable when used to refer to a participant in a social arrangement, as in She was not named as a party in the conspiracy.
A beach party typically involves a bonfire during the night, which is the unifying and central aspect of the gathering.
A cast party is a celebration following the last performance of a theatrical event, such as an opera, musical, or play, or following the end of shooting for a motion picture or following the final episode of a television series for the season.
A third partydeveloper is effectively freelance in that they own themselves and are financially responsible for themselves.
In addition, some development companies are richer than others and therefore able to hire more employees, whilst other developers have small teams but concentrate on smaller products.
Developers who publish their own work or who work as part of a greater developer / publisher collective are marked as such in the individual developer spotlights.