Love & Deepspace's newest character cancelled after fan backlash, provoking more backlash

• Love and Deepspace has cancelled the inclusion of their latest character, Valko, after fan backlash
• But the decision hasn't prevented even more controversy from breaking out amongst fans
• International players now feel left in the cold, and things don't appear to be getting better anytime soon

Note: This article mentions some serious topics (in passing) so read at your own discretion.

There's a rather apt saying for this article: "No-win scenario" And for Papergames and Infold Games, it's very true with their most recent controversy. In case you've been sleeping under a rock or, like me, only checked the news this morning, then you'll be surprised to learn how this all ties into the latest character, Valko.

Well, I say the latest character, but after humungous backlash, Infold and Papergames have been forced to shelve their upcoming werewolf-themed companion. Complaints from fans have ranged from grumbling about this taking attention away from existing characters to accusations that Papergames have made veiled references to real-world war crimes and that Valko's actions have overtones of sexual assault.

Keep the wolf from the door

However, the problems go deeper than fan backlash, which we've seen for other games such as CookieRun: Kingdom. And it's something that appears to have driven a massive wedge between international fans and Love & Deepspace's core audience in China, Papergames' homeland.

For international fans, who've already been hard at work collecting in-game currency and preparing for the new love interest's arrival, the unceremonious cancellation of Valko's addition has left a bitter taste in their mouths. Some are even going so far as to suggest that Papergames and Infold are prioritising their original audience over a growing international fandom.

In fact, the whole reason this drew my attention, before all the news erupted over the past day or so, was that some fans have gone as far as to start a letter-writing campaign to outlets such as ours to vent their frustrations. Which doesn't exactly bode well for the overall mood of many players.

Between a rock and a hard place

Now, believe me, I'm tempted to chalk all this up to parasocial fans taking things way too far. But it's hard to ignore that there are some genuine concerns there, especially with regard to how Valko is depicted, and it's certainly not proper to dismiss any possible concern that such content could depict non-consensual scenarios.

Equally, as many global fans have expressed, some of the criticism seems to be misaimed. I may not be the target audience, but it's hard to see why so many fans have decried Valko, who looks like every generic lantern-jawed heartthrob out there, as being so unspeakably ugly that they have to protest en masse against his addition.

And it's equally difficult to reconcile the idea that Papergames would even hint towards something as vile as the historical Army Unit 731, the legacy of which casts a shadow over relations between China and Japan even to this day. Love and Deepspace doesn't strike me as a particularly edgy game in that regard, and with Papergames being from China themselves, it'd be a shockingly tone-deaf decision to make.

What does this all boil down to?

And yet, as much as I hate to break out the word parasocial (even though I already have), with all the mentions of the word 'trust', it's hard not to remind people that these are fictional characters created by a business at the end of the day. Ultimately, we have to admit games like Love and Deepspace (as well as similar examples aimed towards a male audience, believe me, you guys don't get a free pass) rely on intense emotional investment on the part of the player, sometimes to a disconcerting degree.

Not only that, but the decision to then shelve Valko over what many perceive as a separate element of the game's following (even though there may be more crossover than people might realise) will leave international fans who are just as devoted to their favourite characters feeling ignored. As mentioned all the way at the start of this article, the sentiment that this is a no-win scenario is a very common one for outside observers, and it's not hard to see why.

I guess, ultimately, without wanting to step into the arena of whatever the heck is going on here, I think it's fair to remind people that at the end of the day, these are supposed to be games. And while it's fair to be emotionally invested, when it then breaks out into this kind of highly volatile, emotionally charged conflict, it doesn't reflect well on anyone involved.