This week, we spotlight Alibaba’s latest achievements across gaming partnership, e-commerce, and membership services. Infold Games, powered by Alibaba Cloud, launched the highly successful multi-platform game Infinity Nikki, reaching over 10 million downloads in just four days. On the retail front, Taobao Double 12 captured the attention of young consumers with its innovative “Treasure Hunt” campaign, driving record Gen Z and millennial spending. Meanwhile, Taobao 88VIP unveiled exclusive new perks, including partnerships with the 2025 NBA China Games and Sands China, offering members unparalleled access to live NBA games, travel discounts, and unique shopping benefits.
Infold Games partners with Alibaba Cloud for popular game rollout
Infold Games, the international branch of Interactive entertainment company Papergames, leveraged Alibaba Cloud’s global infrastructure to launch its latest multi-platform game, Infinity Nikki, which became an instant hit, amassing over 10 million downloads within just four days of its global debut.
As a free-to-play, cozy, open-world game, Infinity Nikki was released globally across multiple platforms, including PS5, iOS, Android, and PC. Infold Games relied on Alibaba Cloud’s robust global infrastructure to ensure a seamless gaming experience for players worldwide across regions and devices. This included automated elastic scaling, enabling servers to securely and smoothly handle billions of concurrent connections. Additionally, Infold Games utilized Alibaba Cloud’s global high-speed network, distributed storage, and security solutions to facilitate large-scale, rapid logins, registrations, and data saving during peak moments, delivering a low latency and smooth experience for players worldwide.
To support its data operations for business insights, Infold Games built an integrated platform for comprehensive digital analytics using Alibaba Cloud’s cloud-native data warehouse products, including MaxCompute and AnalyticDB. Furthermore, by leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s observability platform, Infold Games can monitor game operations in real-time during peak launch periods. This allows the team to quickly identify and resolve potential issues, while dynamically adjusting the usage of critical cloud resources to maintain system stability.
Alibaba Cloud has been a long-term partner of Infold Games, supporting the development and launch of popular titles such as Love & Deepspace.
Taobao Double 12: A Celebration of “Treasure Hunting” and Rising Gen Z Spending
This year’s Taobao Double 12 saw the rise of “treasure hunting” as a new trend among young shoppers, with over 100 million interactions in Taobao’s innovative “Treasure Hunt” activity. The campaign drew significant participation from Gen Z and millennials, with 90s and 00s consumers accounting for over 50% of total spending, setting a new record.
Data revealed 00s preferences during Double 12, including unique items like AI-generated wallpapers, collectible cards, and cultural fashion. Seasonal goods such as thermal wear and heaters saw strong sales, while travel-related items like hotel packages and disposable cameras surged over 100% year-over-year as year-end travel plans ramped up.
The event also benefited small businesses, such as “Starry Ink,” a homegrown brand specializing in artisanal inks, which saw significant sales growth thanks to young consumers. Analysts describe Double 12 as a showcase for “Taobao’s treasures,” providing opportunities for small and medium-sized merchants to shine, unlike the brand-dominated Double 11.
Taobao also launched the “Taobao See Treasures Initiative” with the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and Alibaba Philanthropy, creating a special platform to spotlight the products and stories of over 100,000 merchants with disabilities, promoting inclusivity and awareness.
This year’s Double 12 reinforced Taobao’s reputation as the go-to platform for fun, unique finds, and meaningful stories, making it a favorite for both consumers and merchants alike.
Taobao 88VIP Members to Enjoy Exclusive NBA and Travel Perks
Taobao’s 88VIP membership program has announced exciting new benefits, becoming the official presenting partner of the 2025 NBA China Games. Members can attend preseason games in Macau, where the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will face off at the Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena on October 10 and 12. Fans can expect to see NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Ben Simmons in action.
Beyond basketball, 88VIP is teaming up with Sands China to offer exclusive travel, hospitality, and lifestyle perks. Members can enjoy up to 30% discounts on Macau hotels, 10% off select travel products, and benefits spanning over 62 travel categories, further enhancing their experience in Macau.
At a recent event in Macau, Sands China CEO Wilfred Wong emphasized the collaboration’s goal of boosting Macau’s tourism diversification through digital marketing and exclusive offerings.
Adding to the excitement, NBA legend Tracy McGrady announced the launch of his new brand, “13IN35,” on Tmall. Exclusive sportswear collections, including T-shirts, hoodies, and basketball shorts, are available with a 10% discount for 88VIP members.
88VIP continues to attract high-spending, cross-category users, with membership growing to 46 million, making it China’s most extensive paid membership program. In the past year, 88VIP annual partner brands grew by over 300%, including global names like Estée Lauder, Givenchy, P&G, Xiaomi, and Oppo. With sustained double-digit growth, 88VIP is becoming a major business driver for brands on Taobao and Tmall.