DogByte Makes No Bones About Pitch

Software maker DogByte Development will announce today that it is forming a division to focus exclusively on developing titles for women.

The Los Angeles-based firm said the division, dubbed HerSoft, will share employees and resources with DogByte. HerSoft will roll several of DogByte’s current titles into its product mix, which will include crafts and home-decorating titles.

HerSoft will focus on women over 18 and will release its first title, the “Creative Photo Albums Deluxe Baby Edition,” this month.

“No one has done this. There are companies that do publish products that would be classified as women’s products, but no one has come out and made the statement that they are,” said Debra Wong, a partner at DogByte.

About 99.9% of consumers who buy DogByte’s software are women, Wong said. The company also develops products for other firms.

HerSoft will work with retailers to dedicate shelf space specifically to women’s and girls’ titles, she said.

The move may be the first in a series of efforts by the software industry to target women, according to a survey by the Interactive Digital Software Assn. of exhibitors at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

The survey found that interactive entertainment companies ranked casual gamers and females as their top target audiences.