Whats a second party game?

[rhyguy]

If a first party game is made by the console developers, and a 3rd party game is made by other companies

 

[TGBoy]

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.

A second-party developer should not be confused with an internal first-party studio. For example, Intelligent Systems, developers of the original Metroid games (as well as the Fire Emblem and Advance Wars 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.

--- WIKI

 

[sekhu]

Other examples:

Microsoft/Bungie (though no longer true?)
Nintendo/Retro Studios