Regardless of if you play the action-packed dating-sim or not, you've probably heard a bit about the intense controversy surrounding Love and Deepspace recently. And no, it somehow has nothing to do with its spicy content or gacha-style gameplay. Instead, it revolves around the introduction--and quick cancellation--of Valko, the game's sixth love interest.
There's been a new development in the ongoing drama, and it doesn't look good for all the fans who have been petitioning for developer Papergames to bring Valko back. Per Kotaku, Papergames has announced it is pulling Love and Deepspace's booth from BilliBilli World 2026, one of Asia's largest anime and gaming conventions. This somewhat makes sense considering how profoundly his absence was felt at last week's Anime Expo, in which an entire booth that was originally reserved for a Valko cosplayer was left vacant. However, the exact phrasing, written below by cross-referencing numerous translations, is concerning:
"Recently, the game Love and Deepspace has attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society, causing significant distress to all players and creating a negative impact. We are deeply remorseful. We have no excuses, and must profoundly reflect, confront our own issues, and take responsibility. We solemnly offer our sincerest apologies to everyone!
"We sincerely accept all criticism and corrections regarding the problems exposed this time, and will not shirk our responsibilities," Papergames continued. "We will conduct comprehensive personnel training, self-examination, and rectification, using reverence for history, protection of national sentiment, and inheritance of Chinese culture as our benchmark."
While this reference to protecting "national sentiment" and using Chinese culture as a "benchmark" seem innocuous--respectful, even--the story continues.
Since news of Valko's removal surfaced, a battle perceived as being between Chinese Love and Deepspace fans--who overwhelming do not want Valko in the game--and Western audiences, who do, has ensued. Across social media, Chinese fans have shared posts that seem to indicate there are primarily three reasons Valko should not be in the game: 1) He's taking away attention that desperately needs to be spent on the game's main story and already-existing love interests, 2) His appearance goes against Chinese beauty standards, and 3) Valko's promotion slogans, which included "What's wrong with letting a wolf into the house?" could be perceived as condoning trespassing and sexual assault.
Shortly after Papergames announcement it would not be attending BilliBilli World 2026, the Chinese government made its own post latching on to the third of these points.
"Recently, an online game targeting female players has sparked widespread controversy. The game features a storyline where the male protagonist breaks into a woman's home late at night, accompanied by offensive promotional slogans such as, "What's wrong with letting a wolf into the house?", packaging the illegal act of trespassing as a romantic encounter. This kind of entertainment-driven, traffic-driven creative work disregards public order and morality, crosses legal boundaries, and may ultimately endanger public safety," a representative from the Ministry of Public Security News and Media wrote.
The post went on to say that, "If a game packages such behavior as 'fun interaction,' it may be suspected of promoting and glorifying illegal and criminal methods, which is not only a disregard for the authority of the law but also a blatant transgression against the spirit of the rule of law." The writer then cited a 2018 case in which a 15-year-old "addicted to a violent video game" murdered his 23-year-old female neighbor as evidence that "online game content that crosses ethical boundaries can seriously negatively impact the healthy development of teenagers."
"As of now, all relevant characters and storylines in the game have been taken offline for rectification, a move that addresses public concerns," the post continues. "However, taking it offline is not the end; deeper reflection is needed. This incident serves as another warning to the industry: Any content production that deliberately blurs the lines of illegality, glorifies dangerous behavior, or undermines public safety will ultimately be subject to legal sanctions and public resistance."
In short, things are not looking too good for Papergames, which seems to have found itself in a lose-lose-lose situation that is quickly intensifying. With the Chinese government weighing in on the issue--and considering the amount of power it has over the country's media--it seems increasingly unlikely that Papergames will tempt legal action and that Valko will ever resurface.
In fact, this raised awareness could lead to more scrutiny towards Love and Deepspace in general, as the game frequently showcases behavior and scenarios that could be perceived as problematic, to borrow one of the internet's favorite words. The game's fifth love interest, Caleb, locks up and interrogates the player's character at one point, while Sylus fulfils all the dark romance tropes we love as the violent head of a criminal organization. It's possible all this attention could have major ramifications for the beloved game, and although the petition to bring back Valko is nearing a 250,000 signatures, I wouldn't count on that being enough at this point.
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