Romance game ‘Love & Deepspace’ cancels controversial new character, over 220K fans petition for his return

Fans unhappy after top-grossing romance mobile game ‘Love and Deepspace’ cancels controversial new character

Hit Chinese romance mobile game ‘Love and Deepspace’ has captured the hearts of many female fans since its release in January 2024, quickly becoming one of the world’s highest-grossing otome titles, a genre of story-based romance games targeted mainly at women.

In the game, players take on the role of a Deepspace Hunter fighting extraterrestrial monsters, while developing romantic relationships with five virtual love interests: Xavier, Zayne, Rafayel, Sylus, and Caleb.

Each love interest has his own storyline, with players able to interact with them as if they were real-life boyfriends.

However, the game recently found itself in its biggest controversy yet.

On 22 June, developer Infold Games announced a sixth love interest during a surprise livestream, introducing fans to Valko, or Ao Yin in the Chinese version.

The muscular, werewolf-like character was supposed to join the game’s roster as part of its Version 6.0 update on 9 July.

However, on 30 June, Infold released a statement announcing that it had “decided to cancel both the launch and any further development of the new love interest”.

A Letter to All Players

Dear Miss Hunters,

We sincerely apologize for reaching out once again. Over the past several days, our team has been closely following your conversations and feedback across all platforms. For the issues that have surfaced since the announcement of… pic.twitter.com/PsjNbKyTsB

— Love and Deepspace (@Love_Deepspace) June 30, 2026

The company also said no new love interests would be added to the game in future, and that it would focus on developing the existing five characters instead.

The sudden cancellation sparked an uproar online, drawing attention not only from ‘Love and Deepspace’ players, but also from fans of other games.

Why was Valko so controversial among players?

When Valko’s trailer first dropped, some Chinese players strongly opposed the character’s design and backstory.

According to netizens, they felt he looked “too masculine” and “too tan”, claiming that his appearance catered too much to global or Western beauty standards.

However, the controversy soon went beyond Valko’s appearance.

According to Chinese reports, players also criticised a kitchen-themed line shown during the Version 6.0 preview livestream, which warned players not to “bathe in the pot”.

The line was reportedly accompanied by visuals of a boiling pot, leading some players to accuse the game of referencing a real domestic violence case in Shaanxi, where a woman was allegedly killed by her husband in an incident involving noodle soup.

Critics felt the wording was insensitive and appeared to turn violence against women into a gimmick.

Promotional material for Valko also reportedly used the Chinese idiom “引狼入室”, which means “bringing a wolf into the house”.

While Infold said the phrase was meant to refer to Valko’s wolf identity, some players felt it was tone-deaf when used to market a romantic character to a largely female player base.

Another scene in Valko’s promotional video showed him entering the home of a woman living alone through a window without permission.

This also drew criticism, with some players arguing that it romanticised behaviour that could be seen as threatening, especially in a game targeted mainly at women.

Infold also found itself in a sensitive historical controversy

Separately, players also took issue with an in-game lore record labelled “A-0731”, which appeared in a drug-trial document within the game.

Because the record contained references to testing, biological data, and sample observation, some players linked the number “731” to Imperial Japan’s Unit 731, a military unit infamous for human experimentation during World War II.

Infold reportedly said the number was a fictional placeholder with no intended meaning, but acknowledged that it could cause misunderstanding and said it would be changed.

Some players were also frustrated that existing love interests had not received meaningful story updates in some time.

To them, Valko’s introduction felt like a new revenue push that would further delay the storylines of current characters.

Funeral wreaths and cow dung reportedly sent to Infold

The backlash soon escalated beyond online criticism.

Since the teaser’s release, the game’s official Chinese social media accounts reportedly lost around 1 million followers across platforms.

Some players also shared posts on Rednote showing obscene gestures directed at Infold’s office.

A few extreme players reportedly sent funeral chrysanthemums, curse banners, ritual items, and even cow dung to Infold’s headquarters, prompting the company to increase security around its office.

Following the controversy, Infold apologised to players and offered compensation in the form of one free in-game draw per day for 30 days.

The company also said it would shift its focus back to developing the game’s five existing love interests, with new story content for Caleb and Sylus expected in September and November respectively.

Over 220,000 signatures on petition to bring Valko back

Outside China, many global players believed Valko’s cancellation was largely due to backlash from Chinese players.

They took to social media to express disbelief and anger, with some saying Valko had been removed before they even had a chance to experience his story.

The dispute has since divided the Chinese and international player bases, with both sides accusing each other of being unworthy of the game.

The situation has also sparked concerns over racism and sinophobia within the wider fandom.

Some fans have emailed Infold directly, pleading for the company to reconsider its decision to cancel Valko.

Many also mourned the loss of the character, expressing concern for the team behind Valko, who had reportedly spent two years developing him.

One petition calling for Infold to bring Valko back has since amassed more than 220,000 signatures as of writing, with several smaller appeals also surfacing from players hoping to see the character reinstated.

Even players from other gaming communities, including ‘Genshin Impact’ fans, have also joined in to support Valko’s return.

#BringValkoBack is now a global movement

In recent days, some Chinese players have also begun sharing their love for Valko on both Xiaohongshu and international platforms.

Fans have created artworks, tributes, and alternate character details for him, while Malaysian fans even spotted a billboard in Kuala Lumpur featuring Valko.

@pinkcrispss

🇲🇾 proud of my malaysian girlies for setting this billboard event in support for Valko & those who attending OMG look at the numbers! INFOLD BRING BACK VALKO! xhs cr >> 26251138347 #bringvalkoback #valko #loveanddeepspace #fyp #loveanddeepspacevalko

♬ Leak It – FLO

At Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles, some fans also reportedly held a shrine and cosplay tribute for the cancelled character.

Meanwhile, some Chinese fans held a mock funeral for Valko outside Infold’s Shanghai office.

Infold has not announced any plans to reverse its decision.

For now, players around the world are continuing to campaign for Valko’s return, turning the cancelled character into one of the game’s most talked-about figures.

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Featured image adapted from Love and Deepspace on YouTube and Love and Deepspace Wiki.

Romance game ‘Love & Deepspace’ cancels controversial new character, over 220K fans petition for his return