China Steps In After Love and Deepspace Cancels Valko Amid Community Backlash
Love and Deepspace is still stuck in the middle of a messy community fight after it cancelled the planned love interest Valko. While many Western players initially saw Valko as a fresh and exciting addition, the game’s Chinese audience pushed back hard once he was revealed, arguing that the existing romance options weren’t receiving enough attention or story updates.
The controversy escalated quickly. Reports claim fans went as far as sending ritual items and dung to the developer’s office, and after the pressure mounted, Valko was removed and will not be released.
That wasn’t the end of it, though. Western fans responded with their own wave of outrage, including a petition demanding Valko return, which has reportedly climbed to about 210,000 signatures.
Quick scan: what’s happened so far
- Valko was cancelled after major backlash from Love and Deepspace players.
- Chinese fans accused the game of not updating existing love interests enough.
- Reports say some fans sent ritual items and dung to the developer’s office.
- Western fans then launched a petition for Valko to come back, sitting around 210,000 signatures.
- The game removed Valko references from its official YouTube channel and cancelled a Bilibili World appearance.
- Chinese government involvement is now cited as a major reason hope for Valko may be fading.
In response to the first backlash, Love and Deepspace moved to erase Valko from its public presence. The game scrubbed all mention of him from its official YouTube channel and cancelled his scheduled appearance at this year’s Bilibili World convention. Even with that, some players still held out hope—until the situation reportedly took a turn involving the Chinese government.
The Chinese Government Has Waded Into The Valko Drama
The latest development was first spotted by Jin Yamashina on Twitter, and it suggests China’s Ministry of Public Safety also doesn’t want Valko added. The concern isn’t framed as a dispute over attention shifting away from Cylus, but instead centers on how Valko was promoted.
In a statement, the ministry points to one trailer used to advertise Valko’s inclusion. That promo, titled Foregone Fall, shows Valko entering a woman’s apartment through her balcony, which the statement characterizes as a man breaking into a home by smashing the window.
From the ministry’s perspective, the trailer depicts criminal behavior in a romanticized way. They argue it could “ultimately endanger public safety,” describing it as especially risky for women who live alone. The statement then connects the video to an infamous 2018 murder case involving Tang, a 15-year-old who killed his neighbor after becoming fixated on a violent video game.
Love and Deepspace has already removed Valko from its YouTube channel and is effectively acting as if he was never planned. That likely means the developer side isn’t facing direct legal trouble from the backlash itself, but it also makes it far less likely that fan pressure will cause a reversal. With the Chinese government now part of the conversation, it seems the project would rather absorb the anger from players than risk further conflict—an outcome that’s about as “stuck between a rock and a hard place” as it gets.
