Love & Deepspace devs left in a sticky situation as new 200k petition asks them to #BringBackValko

• Love and Deepspace's ongoing Valko controversy continues to smoulder
• Now, a new petition from international fans has grown to around 200,000 signatures
• And despite Papergames shelving the new love interest, many fans are still vocally unhappy

Earlier this week, the world of otome games was rocked by a disaster more shocking than the Titanic, as Papergames were forced to shelve their upcoming werewolf-themed love interest Valko after massive player backlash. It seems, however, there's something of a divide amongst fans as petitions and vocal backlash now come from the opposite direction.

Valko was originally slated to be Love and Deepspace's sixth love interest. The werewolf-themed character saw a lot of pushback from fans due to his appearance and association as a former member of the game's villainous faction. Due to this and other more serious allegations, Papergames took the surprising step to shelve Valko's introduction in favour of focusing on existing love interests.

Howl at the moon

But, as aptly demonstrated by a growing petition and the many (many) fans reaching out to us and other outlets, it appears that this anti-Valko opinion is not shared by all fans of Love and Deepspace.

In fact, the general sentiment seems to be that Papergames have prioritised their original Chinese fanbase over their growing international audience (the inverse, ironically, is what Chinese fans claimed). And there's a growing sense of resentment over what many perceive to be a targeted and organised campaign by fans to have Valko shelved.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that Papergames will reach a resolution that satisfies everyone (or if how this has all spiralled out of control, anyone for that matter), but it does show that the controversy isn't set to die down anytime soon.

Still, if you're watching from the sidelines, this is fortunately likely more of a curiosity than anything else. And if you are embroiled in this and need to take some time for yourself, you can dip your toes into the world outside otome with our latest list of the five new mobile games to try this week.