Love and Deepspace Drops Valko After Backlash, Doubles Down on Current Love Interests
Love and Deepspace has been live for a couple of years, but in the past few days it’s been hit by what many players are calling its most severe wave of backlash yet. The controversy centers on a newly announced romantic option, Valko—an edgy, wolf-themed character that’s been described as looking like it stepped out of a Twilight-style aesthetic. Reports say the backlash has been driven mostly from the CN (Chinese) community.
Accounts of the fallout claim the reaction to Valko’s surprise reveal was intense. One reported outcome is that Love and Deepspace’s social channels allegedly lost millions of followers within only a few days. There are also unverified claims of in-person protests, with some fans reportedly sending items such as cow dung, funeral flowers, and ritual supplies to the game’s developer offices. These physical protest details have not been confirmed.
Even with the focus on Valko’s appearance and vibe, the core anger appears to be about what the character signals. Players seem upset that a sixth love interest is being added while existing romance options haven’t received meaningful story or content updates for a long time. With Valko’s announcement, some fans expected that current characters would continue to be sidelined—leading to the spike in negative sentiment.
Valko canceled after rapid backlash; apology issued
| Item | Status / Notes |
|---|---|
| Valko announcement and trailer | New trailer reportedly posted on the Love and Deepspace YouTube channel less than a week before cancellation |
| Valko release | Officially scrapped after backlash |
| Future love-interest additions | No additional love interests planned for future updates |
| What continues instead | Ongoing development for the stories and “long-term companionship experiences” of the five existing love interests |
That simmering tension has now led to an official reversal: Valko has been canceled. This comes despite the character receiving a fresh trailer on the Love and Deepspace YouTube channel less than a week earlier, which made the reversal feel especially abrupt to some players.
Love and Deepspace’s social channels posted the update with an apology, acknowledging the frustration that players felt. The statement also claims the team “moved forward with the introduction of Valko before we were truly ready,” framing the decision as premature rather than purely intentional.
The message further states that Valko’s release has been fully scrapped. It also says there will be no further love interests added in upcoming updates. Instead, the game will focus on strengthening what it already has—specifically, it will continue to “further develop the stories and long-term companionship experiences” tied to its five existing love interests.
Unsurprisingly, the cancellation itself has sparked additional backlash. This time, the criticism is described as coming mainly from the global side of the playerbase, where many people were reportedly more excited for Valko’s arrival. Some arguments claim the game could support Valko and still deliver steadier content updates for existing characters. Others have gone further, calling the cancellation “consumer fraud,” pointing to how recently Valko was advertised.
Newsletter prompt about controversy context
It’s shaping up to be a tough no-win situation for the developers. With Papergames now forced to unwind one of the most volatile community reactions it’s faced since launch, the team will need to manage expectations carefully while rebuilding trust with players who feel burned—whether they were angry about Valko being added or angry that the character was removed.
