Infinity Nikki praised for banning cheaters, but players are confused as to why anyone would cheat in a cozy dress-up game
Infold Games have announced that they have permanently banned over 80 accounts for cheating behavior on their brand new free-to-play title Infinity Nikki, which was released on December 4. While this tough line on disruptive players has been praised by users, many seem confused as to how and why people would bother to cheat in a cozy, non-competitive open-world fantasy game centered on dress-up and relaxed exploration.
Infinity Nikki is the fifth game in the Nikki series. Developed by Infold Games (of Love and Deep Space fame), you play as pink-haired young stylist Nikki, exploring the fantastical world of Miraland with her adorable cat friend Momo. Releasing on December 4, the game has already surpassed 10 million downloads and is viewed as a serious rival to fellow Chinese gacha game Genshin Impact.
On December 8 and 9, official Infinity Nikki social media accounts announced that 83 user accounts, or Stylists, as the game’s players are called, had been permanently banned. “We have recently identified and confirmed that several Stylists have been using illicit cheats—such as illegal software or other unfair methods—to gain an unfair advantage. These actions are a clear violation of our rules,” The post below pointed out.
Responses to the announcement above on both the official Infinity Nikki English and Japanese X accounts praised the developer’s actions in listing the offending account numbers and instantly banning them. However, many questioned the motivations of the banned players. “Why would you need to cheat in a dress-up game?,” “Just have fun and explore!” and “Are they too lazy to farm for materials?” were common sentiments expressed in replies to the post in both English and Japanese. Others wondered if people were cheating to try to get rare outfits from the gacha system or to snag more in-game Stellarite currency.
It is worth mentioning that Infinity Nikki’s official website was hacked on launch day- with a message urging readers to “kill themselves or play Genshin Impact.” Although Infold Games were quick to fix the issue and reported that no significant damage had been done to the site, this may also explain the company’s strict and decisive actions against anyone disrupting the new game.
As stated in the official Infinity Nikki English language post about the banned users: “Our commitment to maintaining the gaming environment remains strong as we continue to monitor closely, taking strict actions against any transgressions, and safeguarding the rights and interests of all Stylists.”
Infinity Nikki is available to play for free (with optional in-game purchases) on PS5, PC (Direct Windows download, Epic Games Store), Android and iOS.
