Last week, we reported on how the introduction of a new (sixth) hero for the romance game Love and Deepspace caused an uproar among players. Supposed to launch on July 9th via Version 6.0 update, Valko is no longer coming to Love and Deepspace after Papergames cancelled his release.
Yes, the cancel culture got to Valko, too!
It all started when Love and Deepspace revealed its sixth male love interest, Ao Yin, also known internationally as Valko, on June 22nd. He’s the chairman of EonCore Tech and the mysterious leader of the werewolf clan.
He would’ve been the new romance option since Caleb joined the game in Version 3.0 in January 2025. The reaction to the reveal wasn’t exactly welcoming. Fans were enraged because he had no major story buildup, and his appearance didn’t align with the existing heroes.
The local community was so angry that the game’s official Chinese social media accounts lost around 1 million followers across different platforms after the teaser went live. According to reports, people even sent cow dung to Papergames and Infold’s offices.
Others left white and yellow chrysanthemums since they are closely associated with funerals in modern Chinese culture. People also left curse banners, glutinous rice, and pomelo leaves around the promotional display outside the building. These items are traditionally used in spiritual cleansing rituals to drive away evil spirits.
With that extreme reaction, the devs had to take a step back
So, just eight days after Valko was first announced, Papergames decided to completely reverse course. They confirmed that development of Valko had been permanently cancelled, and there would be no additional love interests in Love and Deepspace in the future. Now, that’s really weird, given that it’s a romance gacha game!
Meanwhile, Version 6.0 itself isn’t disappearing. All the other planned systems and gameplay features will still arrive on July 9th. Outfits, photo poses, and the Nighthush Box that were originally intended as Valko event rewards will instead be distributed to everyone for free.
Phew! That was a lot, wasn’t it? If you’re looking for a game that delivers better, then check out our next news. It’s Jigokuraku: Battle in Hell’s Paradise’s New English-Language World.
