Love and Deepspace Scraps New Character Valko Amid Player Outrage

Things have taken a dramatic turn for the mobile action dating sim, Love and Deepspace. Developer Papergames recently announced the arrival of a new character, Valko, but this move didn’t sit well with fans. In response to the overwhelming backlash, the team has made the decision to scrap Valko’s introduction altogether and will instead focus on the existing five love interests already in the game.

In a statement shared on their Instagram, Papergames acknowledged their misstep, saying, “We jumped the gun with Valko’s introduction before we were truly ready. We regret letting down our loyal players and not delivering the quality experience they expected.” After some serious internal discussions, the developers have put a halt to both Valko’s launch and any future development related to this new love interest, assuring players that no additional characters will be introduced in upcoming content.

The backlash was so intense that it spilled into real life, with some fans expressing their dissatisfaction in a rather unusual manner. Reports indicate that disgruntled players sent cow dung to Papergames’ headquarters in China, alongside flowers symbolizing mourning in Chinese culture. Other items like glutinous rice and pomelo leaves, used in traditional cleansing rituals, were also delivered as part of this unusual protest.

The reaction from the player base has been drastic, with Love and Deepspace reportedly losing around 1 million followers on Chinese social media since Valko’s announcement. Many fans voiced their disappointment over the lack of new story content and character development for the existing male love interests. There were also concerns about the game prioritizing its “whales”—players who spend heavily on microtransactions—over the general community, leading to a gameplay experience that felt imbalanced.

Despite the negative feedback directed at Valko, some players are expressing their disappointment over the character’s cancellation, with several comments on Instagram calling for Valko’s release. It seems that while many were unhappy with his introduction, there’s a notable segment of the player base that was looking forward to seeing what Valko could bring to the game.