the.com/first party studio
the developer whose paycheck and whose console come from the same company.
means a game studio owned outright by a platform holder, building software whose real job is selling hardware.
from born in the arcade-to-console era when nintendo, sega and atari realized owning both the box and the games meant owning the profit twice; the term stuck as consoles multiplied and studios got bought out under one roof.
opposite termthird party studio answers to no console maker
famous acquisitionmicrosoft bought bethesda for 7.5 billion
loyalty perkexclusives rarely leave the parent's ecosystem
risk tradeoffguaranteed funding, less creative independence