The launch of Goddess of Victory: New Hope, the Chinese version of the popular gacha game Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, has sparked significant controversy among global players.
Developed by SHIFT UP in collaboration with publishers “MIGU” who also serve as the official CN broadcasters of the FIFA World Cup series, the newly released Chinese server offers a noticeably smoother and faster experience on both mobile and PC.
However, instead of being celebrated as a major expansion, the release has drawn harsh criticism from the international community, who are calling out stark differences in performance, quality-of-life features, and what they perceive as clear developer favoritism.
While the Chinese version only just launched, players quickly noticed it was running laps around the global version in terms of performance. The CN client boasts lightning-fast load times, smoother optimization, and polish that the global version has lacked for over two years.
It’s worth noting that the Chinese version of NIKKE is, unfortunately, censored. Several character designs are noticeably less busty and revealing compared to their depictions in other regions. This kind of censorship is standard for gacha games in China, especially those developed overseas, such as NIKKE, which comes from South Korea’s SHIFT UP.
However, for the PC version of Goddess of Victory: New Hope, it appears possible to bypass these restrictions by editing localization config files, much like how global players have managed to uncensor Snowbreak: Containment Zone.
From animated Solo Raid frames adding a dynamic element to the game’s interface, the Chinese version of NIKKE sports a superior Tribe Tower with auto-progression to enhanced synchro device functionality, the Chinese version feels like a next-gen upgrade.
In comparison, global players are stuck with sluggish black screen loading, 4 hour synchro unit replacement timers, and basic quality-of-life issues that have persisted with little urgency.
What’s especially frustrating for global players is SHIFT UP’s apparent unwillingness to implement the Chinese server’s exclusive quality-of-life improvements into the global version despite these features being clear enhancements that would benefit everyone.
To make matters worse, the Chinese server boasts additional perks, such as higher success rates in molds, a key gacha currency used to recruit NIKKEs (playable characters) of a specific manufacturer without relying solely on traditional banner pulls, offering an alternative way to build their roster namely by beating ascension levels in respective tribe towers.
Although the CN version of NIKKE is launching with 2.5 years less content, its players are receiving a highly refined experience seemingly tailored for the domestic market. This has only intensified global players’ concerns about preferential treatment.
The disparities go far beyond polish, they showcase outright favoritism. Improvements spotted in the Chinese release include enhancements to the general store, upgraded tower systems, and even NIKKEs with buffed skills.
Paired with exclusive costumes, these advantages have sparked criticism and accusations of pro-Communist favoritism from the wider international community which is especially damaging to SHIFT UP’s reputation among gacha gamers, particularly given that global players were already disappointed by the underwhelming 2.5 anniversary update for Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.
Global players expected a celebration of the Commander’s role and were instead given a story arc that sidelined him completely, compounding the sense of disconnect between developers and their base as the event drew unwarranted attention from yuri (lesbian) shippers, which many fans felt diverted focus from the game’s core identity as a male self-insert harem-style gacha experience as hostile invaders sought to invade their space.
The controversy escalated further when Kim Hyung Tae, CEO of SHIFT UP and producer of NIKKE, took to Weibo and appeared to mock global players for voicing concerns about their “inferior version” of the game.
In a now-deleted post, Kim highlighted several advantages exclusive to the Chinese server, such as faster load times, free character resets, and the absence of synchro cooldowns stating, “This is actually the episode that Chinese server players are most proud of…”
The post, which referenced Reddit discussions and hashtags such as #NikkeForForeignServerPlayers, sparked outrage among global fans before being quickly taken down.
Adding to the frustration, SHIFT UP’s 2.5 Anniversary Update did nothing to resolve these disparities. Instead, it shifted the narrative focus away from the commander the main protagonist in what is primarily a male-centric harem game.
The update introduced Mori and Little Mermaid, also known as “Siren,” with the narrative focusing on them alongside Mihara. This sparked a frenzy among yuri fans who immediately began shipping the characters as if their interpretations were undeniable truths as they themselves are incapable of differentiating between friendship, maternal affection, and actual romance.
These lesbian shippers revealed a clear opposition to the game’s male-oriented focus, especially its emphasis on a male protagonist and the bond stories where female NIKKEs show romantic or sexual interest in him.
While NIKKE is fundamentally a male-insert harem game designed to appeal to a primarily male audience with idealized female characters, yuri fans have attempted to reshape the fandom around their own romantic readings, frequently criticizing the game’s core premise.
Within the framework of a male fantasy game, romantic pairings between female characters can feel like they detract from that fantasy, sometimes resembling a form of cuckoldry. The only “yuri” pairing naturally consistent with the harem theme would involve the commander himself engaging in a threesome with two NIKKEs.
SHIFT UP attempted to address player concerns by releasing developer notes on May 23, 2025. These notes outlined plans to introduce Normal and Challenge Modes for Coordinated Operations, an auto-battle system for idle players, and a revamped reward system featuring new gear-related items and upgrade credits in the Recycling Shop.
However, there was no official confirmation about whether other features from NIKKE’s Chinese version, such as guaranteed SSR pulls from molds or the removal of synchro device cooldowns would be added to the global version anytime soon.
Some load time improvements are expected by June 2025, with additional enhancements scheduled for November and further updates planned for Q3. Nonetheless, global players remain skeptical, questioning why CN-exclusive features remain absent and why incremental quality-of-life improvements take months to reach them.
What stings the most is that SHIFT UP’s statements remain just that: words. There’s been no commitment to port CN-exclusive features or costumes to the global client, and no concrete timelines for when, if ever, these improvements will be shared equally.
Players have grown tired of placation and PR-speak when the evidence, both visual and experiential shows that a better version of the game already exists elsewhere.
As a token gesture, SHIFT UP gave global players a meager 1,500 gems and five standard banner pull tickets, an apology that felt insincere, especially considering Chinese players received the same rewards despite already having a superior game experience.
For now, the global NIKKE community remains frustrated, as SHIFT UP’s promises feel hollow without immediate action to close the gap between servers. Despite these controversies, NIKKE’s success is undeniable.
The game’s focus on sexualized female characters and harem dynamics has strongly appealed to a large male audience, helping it generate over $1 billion in mobile revenue across its short lifetime.
However, as SHIFT UP struggles to balance regional server differences and clearly favors its Chinese audience who contribute significantly to the gacha market, the future of NIKKE hinges on addressing global players’ concerns while maintaining the “cheerful sexiness” that defines its identity.
SHIFT UP’s reluctance to resolve these disparities swiftly is not just disappointing, it’s alienating. In a game where immersion, emotional connection to characters, and community engagement are core pillars, that experience quickly falls apart when the developers treat their global audience like an afterthought, prioritizing markets like China simply because their financial influence is amongst the largest of any nation for gacha games.
