We talked to the Infinity Nikki devs about 1.5, and the silence is loud

At this point, we all know about the disastrous Infinity Nikki 1.5 update. I mean, everyone and their grandma has covered it. What was supposed to be a milestone expansion ended up tanking this beloved game’s reputation, introducing increased max pity, broken features, a smorgasbord of bugs, and more. So, naturally, when Infold offered me a chance at an Infinity Nikki interview, I jumped at it. I really love this game, and I thought this was a perfect opportunity to clear the air a little.

But, if you’re someone who’s been following the fallout from this catastrophe, you can probably guess how it went. Unfortunately, the Infinity Nikki developers skipped six out of the ten questions I sent to them. The PR I was in contact with informed me “where they haven’t answered a question – which is likely one about monetization – they have decided to respond with no comment. Unfortunately, they’re not able to discuss monetization at this point.”

However, while we did ask about recent concerns regarding monetization practices, such as the increased number of pieces that made up the five-star outfits on the 1.5 Infinity Nikki banners, several of the skipped questions actually address the retcons to the narrative, inspiration for clothing and areas, the upcoming player island and house, and more.

As such, for the sake of complete transparency between Pocket Tactics and our readers, I have decided to also include the questions that Infold skipped. So, let’s begin with the questions that Infold did answer, followed by those that went unanswered. Please note that the ‘no comment’ responses are based on my aforementioned communication with the PR, and are not direct quotes. Also, keep in mind that we sent these questions a few days after the launch of the 1.5 update, and received the answers on June 10, 2025 – therefore, Infold may have since addressed some of the topics we inquired about.

Pocket Tactics: Infinity Nikki recently arrived on Steam and is available on mobile, PC, and PlayStation. Did you face any challenges developing such a complex game for multiple platforms, and do you plan to bring the game to other platforms in the future? We’re especially curious about whether it will arrive on Nintendo Switch 2.

The Infinity Nikki developers: Developing for multiple platforms has made Infinity Nikki a richer, more adaptable experience – but it’s also brought real challenges.

Each platform comes with its own constraints. Mobile demands efficiency across a range of devices, while console and PC allow for more powerful visuals and interactivity. So we customized the game from the ground up for each one, always keeping the core experience intact.

We’ve optimized graphics, loading speeds, and controls across the board. Consoles get 4K HDR visuals, mobile gets touch-friendly UI and performance enhancements, and PC offers custom hotkeys and high-resolution freedom. Regardless of where or how players jump in, our aim is to ensure the game feels intuitive and fully alive.

That said, none of this matters if the foundation isn’t solid, so for now, we’re focused on refining the current experience before expanding to new platforms.

Version 1.5 has been the biggest update yet, but it’s also faced a lot of performance issues and bugs since launch. In retrospect, do you think introducing this much content in one update was too ambitious? How do you plan on avoiding these issues with future large updates?

Developing Version 1.5 was one of the most challenging milestones for our team, but also one of the most rewarding.

Introducing multiplayer on Unreal Engine 5 brought a host of technical hurdles, and we had to adapt quickly to meet the expectations of our players. We know that major updates like this come with a lot of scrutiny, and we’ve taken all of it to heart.

We’ve grown a lot through this process, and we’re committed to applying those lessons going forward. Our players’ trust and support are what keep us moving, and we’re more determined than ever to deliver on that trust.

The 1.5 update introduced two-player co-op gameplay and multiplayer features. When did you decide to introduce these multiplayer elements, and did you face any challenges implementing them? Can we expect more multiplayer-focused content in the future?

Multiplayer has been part of our vision since the very beginning. From early ideas like Snapshot Hourglass to face-to-face interactions in the Sea of Stars, we’ve always dreamed of bringing players together inside Infinity Nikki’s world.

Of course, building that into a complex open-world environment wasn’t easy. Our first step is to strengthen the foundations – smoothing out technical issues, improving performance, and ensuring that multiplayer is stable and accessible. From there, we’ll roll out even more engaging features to let players truly connect and collaborate in creative ways.

Nikki has quite a few abilities now, each with their own role in the world. How do you go about designing and implementing these abilities? Can you give us a hint at any new abilities that may be on the horizon?

Every ability in Infinity Nikki is crafted to serve a unique role and, more importantly, to bring a sense of wonder to players’ journeys.

We want players to feel empowered as they explore this imaginative world, using different abilities to uncover secrets, solve challenges, or just experience the world in a new light. As we continue updating the game, we’ll keep introducing new abilities that open fresh doors and deepen that feeling of discovery.

The recent banners featured two five-star outfits that have 11 pieces. While you’ve confirmed that future five-star outfits won’t exceed 11 pieces, players are still concerned that 220 pulls for one outfit is very steep and are calling for a max pity cap that reduces the amount of required pulls. Do you plan on introducing a max pity cap at any point?

No comment.

During the New Bloom Festival, you released the premium Unbound Pass: Fireworks item and the four-star Adventure Ride outfit, which are currently the only way to have a summonable whimcycle/motorcycle. This is quite a big quality-of-life feature to lock behind limited banners and premium items. Can you confirm that other quality-of-life features won’t be gated behind time-limited banners or premium items in the future?

No comment.

During the Version 1.5 update, players have noticed some dramatic changes to both the tutorial and the previous storyline, and a lot of stylists have been put off by there being such large retcons so soon after release. Why did you make these changes, and will there be further retconning of the story in the future? Do you plan to bring back the old introduction/tutorial following feedback?

No comment.

You recently introduced the exciting DIY Workshop, which allows players to dye and customize pieces in a variety of ways. However, many stylists have reported that unlocking all the palettes for every individual piece is quite tedious and expensive. How did you go about introducing such an intricate customization feature? Do you plan to alter the process of unlocking palettes to make it more accessible?

No comment.

During the launch showcase, you gave us an in-development gameplay preview of a customizable player island and house that we can decorate ourselves using Nikki’s construction ability. How’s the development for this coming along, and can we expect to hear any news soon?

No comment.

Where do you get inspiration for the clothing and new areas in Infinity Nikki?

No comment.

And that’s it for our Infinity Nikki interview. If you’ll allow me to be entirely honest for a moment here, I’m unsurprised by the lack of answers but still quite disappointed. As both a beta and day-one player, this game means a lot to me, to the point that I even gave it a 9/10 in my Infinity Nikki review and named it my GOTY for 2024. It’s an incredibly important outlet for self-expression and fills a niche in the cozy game market that has been vacant for far too long.

The recent changes to the Infinity Nikki gacha system have been troubling to say the least, but my biggest concerns revolve around the retcons to the absolutely beautiful original story, the terrible performance issues that have rendered the game unplayable for many Nikkis, and more.

While part of me is excited to dive into the new Infinity Nikki update that launched today (June 12 or 13, depending on your time zone), a couple of fun Infinity Nikki events and a handful of freebies isn’t a big enough Band-Aid to cover this wound. This is especially true as the girlcott continues to rage on, with reviews dropping across multiple platforms and new YouTube videos covering the controversy popping up every day.

I still have hope for the future of Infinity Nikki. Whether that’s copium or not remains to be seen, but the core of the game is so special, and I know many of you reading this feel the same. But, while that new Infinity Nikki ability outfit is certainly cute, I think I’ll stick it out with the Animal Crossing villagers for a while.