The saga of Valko continues. The sixth love interest for gacha romance game, Love and Deepspace, was first announced on June 22 before being promptly canceled by developer Papergames on June 30 in response to an outpouring of fan backlash. Now a different group of fans is protesting Valko’s sudden removal, starting a campaign to “bring back Valko.”
Valko was set to launch with Version 6.0 of Love and Deepspace on July 9 as the game’s sixth love interest. The sexy werewolf CEO would be the third love interest released after the game’s 2024 launch and the first new love interest the game has received since Caleb’s arrival in Version 3.0 in January 2025. However, a handful of elements rubbed the fanbase the wrong way about Valko’s announcement. First is the belief that the introduction of a new love interest was a slap in the face for fans who lamented the lack of meaningful updates to the game’s existing main story and love interests.
As explained by Games Radar, there are also theories flying around that paint Valko himself as a problematic character. Some players believe promotional material for the werewolf CEO makes reference to a real domestic violence case. Others suggest the design and name of Valko is meant to evoke Yao Runhao, the CEO of both Love and Deepspace‘s developer Papergames and its global publisher Infold Games. This storm of theories and complaints about what Valko meant for Love and Deepspace has reportedly led to a mass exodus of players and followers of the game’s social media accounts. Some disgruntled fans have apparently sent packages of cow dung to the Papergames offices. Of note, however, is that the backlash to Valko is predominantly found in the Chinese playerbase of the game.
The protests led to an announcement from Papergames that the development of Valko and any future love interests had been canceled. In the hours since that announcement, the “bring back Valko” hashtag has exploded online with a different subset of Love and Deepspace players voicing dissatisfaction with what they perceive as an overcorrection. The divide that has appeared is largely between the Chinese and international playerbase, seen as anti-Valko and pro-Valko respectively. Scrolling through the “bring back Valko” tag on X reveals hundreds of posts from fans bemoaning the removal of a character that was truly exciting to many.
The campaign has gained enough popularity for at least two community petitions to pop up urging Papergames and Infold to bring back Valko. One petition on change.org has over 70,000 signatures, while another on iPetitions has over 150,000. The iPetitions post states that:
Global fans have made it clear that Valko matters to this story and to the people who have followed it with care. A character like this does more than fill a slot in a game. He shapes the world, the relationships, and the emotional pull that keeps players invested. When a love interest is removed or left out after being intended for that role, it is not just a creative choice on paper. It changes the experience for the whole community.
A major complaint global players have is also that this saga shows that the Chinese playerbase is valued more. The perception is that if Chinese fans complain loudly enough, Papergames will give in to player pressure, despite what the global playerbase may want. Neither Papergames nor Infold has made any further statements on the future of Valko.
Love and Deepspace is available on Android and iOS devices. Version 6.0 will be released on July 9.
