About us

■ ABOUT SAKURA SOFT

Sakura Soft Co. is a computer video game development company, founded on March 28, 1999 in Tokio, Japan by Takao Shimizu.

Our development team is dedicated to creating creative and unique stories that combine deep narrative with visual innovation — something novel for this era!

Since our founding, we have strived to offer unique narrative experiences, taking care of every artistic and sound detail in our projects. Our team is made up of artists, writers, and programmers passionate about telling memorable stories.

■ OUR HISTORY

1999

Foundation of Sakura Soft

Takao Shimizu, a young programmer and writer, founded Sakura Soft Co. with the idea of creating interactive stories that went beyond traditional video games. The initial goal: to produce visual novels that combined art, sound, and narrative as one inseparable whole.

2001

Sora no Kioku (空の記憶)

Our first visual novel, a story about memory and loss, praised for its minimalist art direction and original soundtrack. This title put Sakura Soft on the map among Japanese independent developers.

2003

Akatsuki no Kaze (暁の風)

With more resources and a slightly expanded team, we released our second project, exploring more mature themes and a non-linear narrative structure, something uncommon for the time.

Plot: In an isolated coastal town, three childhood friends must face the moment their paths diverge after graduation. The story branches according to the player's choices, exploring themes of friendship, regret, and second chances, with a non-linear structure that lets you relive the same season from different perspectives.

2005

Expansion of the Development Team

The success of our first titles allowed us to bring new artists and composers onto the team, strengthening our production capacity and opening the door to more ambitious projects.

2007

Beginning

We are currently working on our most ambitious project to date, code-named Kuroi Shiori. For now we can't reveal any further details, but it promises to be a major evolution in Sakura Soft's narrative and visual style.

■ DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Sakura Soft Development Team

Photograph taken on 25/11/2005.

In this photograph, the team celebrates the completion of a key stage in the development of our upcoming project, "Kuroi Shiori". It was a day of hard work and, as some team members recall, very little sleep. We're proud to share this moment with all of you.

Development office, Tokyo.

■ COMPANY INFORMATION

Company Name	Sakura Soft Co., Ltd.
Japanese Name	株式会社さくらソフト
Founded	1999
Head Office	Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Employees	19
Primary Business	Visual Novel / Interactive Software

■ A MESSAGE FROM SAKURA SOFT

To all our fans and players: We want to thank you for the continued support you've shown Sakura Soft over the years. Your enthusiasm is what motivates us to keep creating stories that, we hope, stay with you long after you've finished them.
As for "Kuroi Shiori", we ask for a little more patience. Some projects simply need their time to take the right shape.
Thank you for accompanying us on this journey.

— The Sakura Soft team

Thank you for your continued support of Sakura Soft.