Career Soft

Japan Founded 1996

Originally part of Masaya Games, a brand used by Nippon Computer Systems (NCS) or NCS Corporation, that became an independent studio while still working on the Langrisser game series. They created Growlanser as a spiritual successor of Langrisser in 1999 which was published by Atlus. In 2001, they were bought by and became a subsidiary studio of Atlus. In 2004, most of the staff were merged into the main development team of Atlus and worked on the Devil Survivor sub-series of Shin Megami Tensei. Continuing to exist as a brand/label. In 2010, Career Soft continued to exist as a brand/label after Atlus was bought by Index Corporation. In 2013, Career Soft was dissolved into Sega Dream Corporation along with all other Index Corporation game assets when they were bought by Sega. Sega Dream Corporation was renamed Index Corporation along with the merger. In 2014, Index Corporation was split with it's business related departments were setup as a new Index Corporation while the games division was rebranded as Atlus.

Career Soft at a Glance

If you are looking for Japanese studios from the late nineties and early two thousands, Career Soft is a name that appears on the PlayPile database with ten titles listed as developer credits. This studio operated from 1996 until 2007. They started as part of Masaya Games before becoming an independent label. Their work began alongside the Langrisser series, but they are best known for creating Growlanser in 1999 as a spiritual successor to that franchise. The data shows their output shifted over time with four games released in the 1990s and six titles appearing in the 2000s. Their catalog leans heavily toward strategy and role-playing games, with six entries in each of those top genres. They also touched on real-time strategy, tactical combat, adventure, and visual novel formats. The PlayStation 2 platform dominates their presence with seven releases. Three games appeared on the Sega Saturn, while two titles landed on the PlayStation Portable. Only a single entry is listed for PC Microsoft Windows. This focus suggests they were deeply embedded in the console market of that era rather than pursuing cross-platform distribution widely. The quality of their work varies across the board. The average IGDB rating sits at 71.3 out of 100 based on three rated titles. One title achieved a great score, two received good ratings, and none fell into the mixed or poor categories. Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of the Time stands out with an 80/100 rating from 2003. Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice followed in 2001 with a 73.8 score. Later entries saw lower reception, such as Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness and Growlanser VI: Precarious World which lack specific high scores in the provided data, while Growlanser: Heritage of War from 2006 holds a 60/100 rating. The studio had a turbulent history regarding its ownership. They became a subsidiary of Atlus in 2001. In 2004, most staff moved to work on the Devil Survivor sub-series while Career Soft continued as a brand label. The company survived when Index Corporation bought Atlus in 2010 and later dissolved into Sega Dream Corporation in 2013. This corporate reshuffling eventually led to the rebranding of their games division back under Atlus in 2014. Their output remains small compared to major publishers, but their strategy RPGs from the early 2000s remain a specific point of interest for players who follow this niche.

Total Games

71.3

Avg Rating

1996

First Release

2007

Latest Release