May-Be SOFT

May-Be SOFT (メイビーソフト) is a Japanese adult game (eroge) brand that has been active since the early 1990s. It began in 1993 as a brand of the company Craftworks, releasing titles such as Poison Needle and Sonic Linker. In 2000 the brand was transferred to Tech Arts Co., Ltd., and in 2003 it was moved again to Rievel Co., Ltd., a company spun off from Tech Arts so that May-Be SOFT titles could be reviewed by the Media Ethics Association (now the Content Soft Association) rather than the Computer Software Ethics Organization. The brand is a member of the Hokkaido Eroge Association. May-Be SOFT's catalog spans many genres of adult PC games, from early titles like Marion, Ce'st La Vie, and Escape! to later series such as Henshin! and its sequels, as well as the Sixty-Nine series and Monogokoro, Monomusume. The brand has also released animated versions of several titles under the "The Anime" label, and has expanded to Android with a port of Henshin! in 2012. Its official website is hosted under the Tech Arts domain and includes an age verification gate for adult content. Over the years, May-Be SOFT has been associated with artists such as Nozomu Mochizuki, Mame, Toshihide Sano (Sanu), and Akaza, who has handled character designs for all titles since Henshin!. Scenario writers include Hokiboshi and Shinichi Hidaka. The brand has also been linked to the music group milktub, which composed theme songs for some titles, and to the independent brand Complets, founded by former May-Be SOFT staff. After switching to Media Ethics Association review, May-Be SOFT was among the first to implement changes such as the "natural mosaic" and the removal of censorship marks from text and audio, allowing for more explicit content than was possible under the previous review board. The brand continues to operate under Rievel, with its official site and social media presence maintained by Tech Arts.

May-Be SOFT was established in 1993 as a brand of Craftworks Co., Ltd. Its first release, Poison Needle, came out on August 20, 1993, followed by Sonic Linker in September and Tsumokki in December. Throughout the 1990s the brand released numerous adult PC games, including Marion (1994), Ce'st La Vie (1995), Escape! (1996), and High School Days (1996). In 1997 the related brand MBS TRUSE (later MBS TRUTH) began releasing titles such as Yugami and Nourikisha, and the brand Dixie released RONA in 1994. Another early label, FLAT, put out Camisole in 1992 and Nortia in 1993. In 2000, May-Be SOFT was transferred from Craftworks to Tech Arts Co., Ltd. Under Tech Arts, the brand released remakes and new titles including Escape Plus (2000), Sixty-Nine (2000), -Sugata- (2001), and Cage (2002). In 2003, to allow review by the Media Ethics Association (now the Content Soft Association), May-Be SOFT was spun off into Rievel Co., Ltd., a separate company. This move was made because Tech Arts at the time was reviewed by the Computer Software Ethics Organization. After the transition, the brand released titles such as Grope (2003), Henshin! (2004), and its sequels, as well as animated versions of several games under the "The Anime" label. In the 2010s, May-Be SOFT continued to release new entries in the Henshin! series, including Henshin!!! (2011) and an Android port of Henshin! in 2012. The brand also released Change! in 2014. Its official website is maintained under the Tech Arts domain and includes an age verification gate. The brand is a member of the Hokkaido Eroge Association. Over the years, May-Be SOFT has worked with artists such as Nozomu Mochizuki, Mame, Toshihide Sano, and Akaza, and scenario writers Hokiboshi and Shinichi Hidaka. The music group milktub composed theme songs for some titles, and former staff went on to found the brand Complets.

• May-Be SOFT brand established under Craftworks; first title Poison Needle released.

• Brand transferred from Craftworks to Tech Arts Co., Ltd.

• Brand spun off to Rievel Co., Ltd. to allow Media Ethics Association review.

• Henshin! released, first title with Akaza as character designer.

• Henshin! Android port released.

• Change! released.

Adult PC game brand known for explicit content and early adoption of less censored presentation under Media Ethics Association review.

• Poison Needle

• Sonic Linker

• Tsumokki

• Marion

• Yuwaku no Toiki

• FILE

• Ce'st La Vie

• Ippatsu JANG!

• Kirishima Shinryoushitsu no Gogo

• Coming Heart

• Escape!

• Yoku ~Musabori~

• Blind Games

• HIGH School DAYS

• Yakusoku

• Girigiri Paradise

• UP!

• Okiraku HEAVEN

• Sakura Biyori

• Boku wa Kohitsuji?!

• H Kenkyuukai

• Escape Plus

• Sixty-Nine

• -Sugata-

1. 1May-Be SOFT official websiteteck.co.jp
2. 2May-Be SOFT - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org
3. 3May-Be SOFT - Wikidatawikidata.org