Love and Deepspace Fans Honor Canceled Werewolf Valko at Anime Expo
It’s been a week since the romance game Love and Deepspace studio Infold announced it would scrap the addition of a new love interest, a werewolf character named Valko. Even so, players haven’t stopped pushing for his return. One of the most visible community efforts is coming from Kurina, who built a real-world Valko tribute at Anime Expo—an installation that quickly turned into a gathering spot packed with notes, gifts, and shared reactions from players.
How Kurina’s Valko tribute started
- Kurina said she was hit hard by Infold’s cancellation announcement and then noticed activity on X involving fans in China traveling to Infold’s headquarters to bring Valko-themed promotional items like chocolate and flowers.
- That sparked an idea for her, since she remembered a Jinu shrine created for Anime Expo 2025. She decided Valko deserved something similar.
- After making up her mind, she immediately began preparing—buying supplies, building the tribute, and telling friends she was fully serious about following through.
- To give others time to prepare their own contributions, she also recorded a video in advance so attendees could plan what to bring.
- Kurina noted the tribute’s purpose became clear as more people stopped by to read, leave items, and ask questions—even individuals who hadn’t played Love and Deepspace at all.
- As the days went on, the space shifted from a shrine-like display into a community meeting point where people talked about the game and their feelings after the Valko news.
Kurina described the daily atmosphere in simple terms: people would stand by, read the notes, leave chocolate or drawings, or just quietly watch and connect. She said the installation became a place where attendees shared personal stories, explained where they were when they heard about Valko, and found others who understood the same frustration and disappointment.
She also emphasized that the impact surprised her. What began as a personal response to the announcement grew into something larger than she originally expected—especially as the fandom’s emotions turned into tangible, creative support.
Other ways fans are backing Valko
Kurina’s tribute isn’t the only sign of continued pressure for Valko’s reinstatement. A petition has reportedly reached 29,364 signatures at the time of writing. Players have also created additional publicity pushes, including a fan-made “star” named after the character.
On Instagram, user Lunarmizuki asked other players to contribute to a wolf charity in China in Valko’s name, and the effort had reportedly raised $1,243 so far. Meanwhile, fans in Malaysia and New York have reportedly purchased LED billboard slots to share Valko footage, with more planned internationally.
Beyond donations and ads, the campaign has spread through several community-driven actions: fan art, social media posts supporting Valko, boycotts or refusal to spend money in the game, and even streaming tactics. Some players have reportedly been looping Valko’s official track, “Tameless Territory,” on services like Spotify in an attempt to boost its chart presence. At Artist’s Alley during Anime Expo, many creators selling Valko-related merch reportedly sold out quickly.
Why the character mattered to Kurina
Kurina explained that Valko represented something new to many players. She said he was expected to be the first fresh love interest introduced for a large portion of the community, and that excitement came from wanting to meet his story, make fan art, and welcome him into the fandom. She also highlighted the effort required to build characters like these, pointing to Infold’s GDC presentation earlier this year as evidence of the detail and care involved in developing each love interest.
For her personally, the cancellation didn’t just feel like losing another character. She described it as the sense of losing something the community had been looking forward to together—an event that struck because of what it represented emotionally.
Kurina’s broader connection to the game
K urina also tied her experience with Love and Deepspace to her own life choices. She said the game marked a moment when she decided to treat content creation as a career, while also reminding her why she loves anime, gaming, and making creative work.
She added that the fandom gave her confidence to stop hiding the things she loves and start building around them. In her words, it wasn’t only entertainment—it became the spark for a new chapter in her life.
Fan Tribute to Love and Deepspace’s Valko
Near the end of Anime Expo, Kurina gave contributors the chance to retrieve their items before leaving the convention. She said she took everything else with her to preserve a record of the tribute.
She also reflected on what she views as a defining trait of this fandom: it inspires creativity. She pointed to multiple ways people express their love for the game, from fan art and cosplay to oshikatsu (a Japanese fandom subculture), scrapbooking, journaling, and—by her own route—3D modeling and printing.
Kurina said she didn’t want the tribute to end when Anime Expo ended. She described the notes, drawings, and messages as contributions from people who wanted to share what Valko and the community meant to them. She said she and others in the community are currently hoping to preserve as many of the notes as possible, potentially through a scrapbook or another keepsake, so the messages aren’t lost or forgotten.
At the moment, there’s still no update from Infold on whether the Valko campaign will succeed. Fans remain hopeful for news on July 9, the date Valko was originally expected to debut.
