The historic dress-up game Infinity Nikki now challenges gender norms and empowers female gamers by presenting a female-friendly open-world adventure. The game subverts the "male gaze" that often dominates video game design by offering diverse and non-sexualized fashion options, focusing on details appreciated from a feminine perspective. By rejecting the over-sexualization of female characters, a common trope in other gacha games, Infinity Nikki cultivates a more inclusive and welcoming community. Thus, Infinity Nikki redefines femininity in gaming by promoting positive representation and challenging harmful stereotypes within the industry. This is why the game is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
The Nikki game series began in 2012 with Nikki UP2U: A Dressing Story. Developed by Paper Studio (previously named SuZhou Nikki Co., Ltd) and CatCap Studio (also known as Rhino Studio and Beijing Dawei Technology Co., Ltd.). It had a simple click-to-dress-up gameplay that was enhanced with well-written storylines and intricately designed clothes. This set itself apart from its competitors, quickly making it a fan favourite whose success surpassed other dress-up games. Twelve years later, in December 2024, its open-world gacha edition, Infinity Nikki, remains true to the original game’s vision, employing sophisticated storylines and ingenious fashion designs. This proved to be a match made in heaven, as the popular open-world gacha game format allowed for its storylines and clothing options to constantly be updated with every new patch.
Led by games such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rai, the open-world gacha game was an industry worth USD 19.4 billion in 2023. However, a 2017 study by Quantic Foundry found that 86 percent of open-world gacha players are men. The study cited that the nature of these games, everything from overtly sexualized female characters to a lack of woman-led storylines, contributed to the gender discrepancy of its playerbase, even though a 2024 study found that 72 percent of women with access to the internet played online games. Infinity Nikki managed to identify this discrepancy and saw within it an invaluable opportunity, raking in a massive 20 million users almost overnight at its release.
Playing into the open world game format, Infinity Nikki sees its protagonist, the pink-haired Nikki and Momo, her talking-cat sidekick, whisked off to a fantasy world full of fairies, sprites, monsters, dragons and more. There’s still action-filled combat and magical quests to embark upon, and what’s unique is the fact that Nikki gains her superpowers through her outfits. Users gacha for individual clothing items, which gives Nikki different abilities, from floating to playing the violin.
The variety of Nikki’s clothing has also been especially praised by its users. “I found it interesting that one of the styles in Nikki is ‘sexy’. Because she is an adult and it is a game with I think more of an adult audience, she’s allowed to be sexy… And the sexy clothing in Nikki isn’t just as revealing as possible, it’s actually a style of normal clothing,” says user ConcerningHobbits_22.
This is why Infinity Nikki isn’t just a game—it’s a quiet revolution. By centring femininity without fetishizing it, and by transforming fashion into a literal superpower, it proves that open-world adventures don’t need to cater to the male gaze to captivate audiences. Its explosive success sends a clear message: women gamers have been here all along, waiting for worlds where they’re not just included, but celebrated. As the industry reckons its gender disparities, Infinity Nikki stitches together a new blueprint: one where empowerment, creativity, and inclusivity aren’t mere 'features,' but the very fabric of play.
Find out more about Infinity Nikki and their initiatives on their website or www./infinitynikki.infoldgames.com or Instagram @infinitynikki_en.