‘Infinity Nikki’ Community Plans “Girlcott” After Developer Mutes “Boycott” in Ongoing Update 1.5 Drama

The Infinity Nikki community has launched a “girlcott” after developer Infold Games allegedly censored the word “boycott” on the game’s social media platforms. The fashion RPG, which has a large female player base, is now facing backlash from players following ongoing drama surrounding the Infinity Nikki 1.5 update.

‘Infinity Nikki’ Players Launch “Girlcott”

Drama surrounding Infinity Nikki has seemingly spiraled out of control, as the gacha game’s developer has stepped into yet another controversy. For those out of the loop, the popular RPG recently had a disastrous launch on Steam after fans realized that the 1.5 update had added an 11-piece outfit to the game. In gacha terms, this increased the game’s wish banner to an insane 220 pity. This led the Chinese Infinity Nikki community to launch a boycott and flood Steam forums to warn others away from playing the game.

But it only got worse from there, as the community became further enraged when they discovered that Infold Games had also retconned the opening story section of Infinity Nikki. In a possible attempt to quell the discontent, players report that the developer has now muted the word “boycott” on all social media platforms, such as Discord and Reddit. The move has seemingly backfired, as it has only united both the Chinese and international communities to now launch a “girlcott” of the game. To get around the censorship, players have been encouraging fellow stylists to spam “girlcott” on social media.

the controversy continues

Over on the Infinity Nikki subreddit, players vented their frustrations at the studio for banning boycott from their socials. “Aint no way. We need codewords girlies. Like really ridiculous codewords that feel awful to ban. GirlSolidarity, GirlFightBack” one user posted. Another exclaimed, “Solidarity with our fellow Chinese players! Girlcott today!”

This new girlcott development is notable, as Infinity Nikki has a large female player base. In fact, according to some surveys, it could be as close as 70% of the game’s active community. So, the use of “girlcott” is now becoming a rallying cry for the fandom to voice their discontent. The girlcott campaign instantly spread like wildfire on social media platforms such as Reddit. As players began to use the in-game Infinity Nikki photo feature to spotlight the #girlcott hashtag.

Players Aren’t Standing down

Despite Infold Games issuing an apology on April 29, the Infinity Nikki community doesn’t seem to be accepting it. In fact, the outrage and anger only seem to be growing by the day. The developer’s reported moves to mute criticism have only made things worse. Calls for a “girlcott” first started on May 1, when a player made a Reddit thread claiming they had been permanently banned from the official Infinity Nikki Discord. The user’s crime? Posting a picture of the game’s negative Steam reviews.

This culminated in the community feeling that the developer was purposely shutting down any criticism about the Infinity Nikki 1.5 update. Even if you don’t care about gacha games, the Nikki drama, in my opinion, is important. It raises the question: What happens if a game’s player base says no? What happens when players are so upset that a game risks losing its entire community?

It’s easy to forget that Infinity Nikki was a beloved game just a few months ago. When it came out in 2024, the RPG had one of the most “laid-back” communities in the industry. For many women and groups, Infinity Nikki was considered the antidote to toxic gaming trends. So, it’s incredible to see a beloved RPG lose its fandom this quickly. However, at least from what I’ve seen from players, #girlcott means more than just criticizing a game’s recent update. Instead, the campaign is a community standing together to voice their fear that they’re not being heard.