Hot Five: Animal Crossing’s comeback, Balatro’s big milestone, and Infinity Nikki’s record launch

To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.

1) Infinity Nikki is series’ strongest launch with $4m in four days on mobile

Infold Games’ dress-up adventure Infinity Nikki generated $4 million in gross player spending in its first four days on the App Store and Google Play.

The majority of that spending came from China, accounting for almost $3.1 million by AppMagic estimates. True earnings from the region are likely higher when factoring in alternative stores on Android.

2) Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete surpasses $3m with highest daily spend since 2017

After Nintendo’s free-to-play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp mobile game reached end of service last month, premium iteration Pocket Camp Complete launched on December 2nd and proceeded to generate $3.1 million in just over a week.

The repurposed title’s strong debut can be partly attributed to the original’s closure as well as the ability to transfer save data, but also to the limited-time discount on Complete purchase. Players who take the plunge to pick up their progress before January 31st will pay half the price of those who go on deliberating.

3) Balatro has sold over 3.5 million copies

Premium card game Balatro has surpassed 3.5 million sales across platforms, according to the game's official Twitter account.

Solo developer LocalThunk first released the roguelike on PC and console this February before expanding to mobile in the autumn, transforming what he first intended as a "game for myself and a few friends" into an award-winning hit.

4) Zynga sells Chartboost to LoopMe

Zynga has sold mobile ads and monetisation platform Chartboost to LoopMe for an undisclosed sum, as the latter company looks to expand its own AI-powered platform and presence in the mobile apps ecosystem.

"We see mobile in-app and CTV as the future of brand advertising, and the acquisition of Chartboost brings us closer to making this vision a reality, bringing us closer to app publishers," said LoopMe CEO and founder Stephen Upstone.

5) EsportsXO partners with Abu Dhabi Gaming to open regional headquarters in the MENA region

Indian esports company EsportsXO and Abu Dhabi Gaming have partnered to expand into the MENA region, allowing XO to open its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Both partners expect this to create new job opportunities and bolster local talent development, in line with Abu Dhabi’s mission to become a global gaming hub.