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[mckmas8808]

My problem is that he wasn't even part of senior leadership at Sony six or more weeks ago.

So you think he doesn't have access to this information? Or wasn't part of these conversations or something? What's happening here?!

 

[adamsapple]

I think it’s good to have a ”Second Party” category rather than including those types of games in the category of first party. It more easily distinguishes and highlights the ip-ownership/developer/funding arrangement of those games.

And if someone in the position Shu was at is making this kind of distinction with statements like "we called it xyz", it's a safe bet he's talking about how these games would be referred internally.

Maybe all studios don't use this terminology but Shu's statements can be taken as SIE using these terminologies internally.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

My problem is that he wasn't even part of senior leadership at Sony six or more weeks ago.

The guy was intimately involved in every detail of running the PS business for decades at the highest levels. Like, what else is there to say, I really don’t know. Agree to disagree, I guess

 

[zedinen]

How would you classify Spiderman on PS4 and Indiana Jones on Xbox Series?

First Party, according to Sony ( Worth noting that Insomniac wasn't owned by SIE, and they don't own Spider-Man)

Death Stranding 2, published by SIE, is a first party game, according to Sony.

 

[nial]

So you think he doesn't have access to this information? Or wasn't part of these conversations or something? What's happening here?!

I never stated any of that.

The guy was intimately involved in every detail of running the PS business for decades at the highest levels. Like, what else is there to say, I really don’t know. Agree to disagree, I guess

He factually wasn't involved 'at the highest level' in any of these things for the past 5 years, he already departed the company when he made those comments. What are we arguing here?
I don't even remember or care I made that small observation until I get quoted here, please don't waste your time on this.

 

[ArtHands]

So I guess Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin are not first party games despite what some Playstation fans said.

 

[Hudo]

The best party would be one where I could play a new Motorstorm and/or Wipeout.

 

[Lunarorbit]

This isn't an original thought but they should have all the big video game companies come together and make a dictionary.

The amount of confusion and arguing over terminology has been going on for 50 years

 

[Woopah]

Its how I see Star Wars. If LucasFilm wants video games, and EA is contracted to develop and publish games for it. But it does not mean EA has 1st party rights to it. They are glorified contractors, or 2nd party until LucasFilm pulls the contract. Now if EA comes up with a Star Wars idea and wants LucasFilm blessing then its EA 3rd party, and LucasFilm 2nd party at worst as LucasFilm has final say on everything Star Wars. There is no 1st party in that scenario.

If Sony dreams up an idea and wants to pay another studio to create it then that is 2nd party. Did Sony have any involvement in the creation process after the handoff? It is all about business law and who has the initial idea and who funds it. Every party wants credit where its due. Its grey areas until the lawyers get involved. Just ask yourself, who thought of the product, who funded the product, who published the product?

Its a sweet little triangle of product development. 1-Developers 2-Investors 3-sonsumers. It all begins with the IP (branding), is it established or or something new? Did the person funding the project put in terms of funding that they get rights to the IP or not. When product is on market who has the IP rights? All else is secondary to that.

This is why Nintendo wins every case they take to court. They own the IP and brand thus they get to absolutely say what is brought to market and what is not.

IP law is super murky and why the lawyers get paid mega bucks to play around with definitions of the law.

I think that works quite well when looking at whether an IP is first party or not, but less so for individual games.

So for example, Lego Horizons on PS5 is a first party game for Sony even if they don't own the Lego IP. However, that same game on Switch is a third party game for Nintendo.

You are right that Nintendo has 100% IP ownership of many first party games. But there are also Nintendo first party games where Nintendo owned 50%, 33% or 0% of the IP.

First Party, according to Sony ( Worth noting that Insomniac wasn't owned by SIE, and they don't own Spider-Man)

Death Stranding 2, published by SIE, is a first party game, according to Sony.

Exactly. IP and studio ownership are irrelevant to whether something counts as a first party game.

 

[Team Andromeda]

So what were SEGA's 1.5 first party games then

 

[Madserb2023]

At least it will be easy for Microsoft. Everything will be third party.

 

[mckmas8808]

This isn't an original thought but they should have all the big video game companies come together and make a dictionary.

The amount of confusion and arguing over terminology has been going on for 50 years

Companies are kinda clear what 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party is. It's just the fanboys that don't want to listen and make everything into list wars.