Valko will be missed.
Fans of Love and Deepspace are in deep mourning following the unprecedented cancellation of Love Interest Valko two days ago.
Valko, the game's sixth Love Interest was originally planned for release on 9 July. However, following overwhelming backlash–particularly from Chinese fans–developer Infold immediately retracted his release and permanently removed him from all of the game's social media channels.
The decision has not gone down well with fans, prompting many to rally behind Valko. A petition titled "Bring Valko Back" has also emerged, gathering more than 81,000 signatures in just two days.
However, some others have begun bidding Valko heartfelt farewells–with videos shared of Love and Deepspace players gathering in front of Infold’s headquarters, bringing parting gifts and taking photos.
One user shared a video on X showing fans gathering in front of Valko's poster, taking pictures with one person holding a bouquet of flowers. "When I first arrived at the Diezhi building and saw that wall, I couldn't help but cry. A girl shared her chocolate with me, another girl was herself choked up as she comforted me and held my hand," the user wrote.
On TikTok, another user shared that some fans had gathered outside Infold's headquarters to "show support for Valko before they remove his picture". The video shows the fan buying chocolate for Valko, taking farewell photos, and joining other fans paying their respects.
More people have continued to mourn Valko's removal online. On Reddit, one user said Valko had reignited her passion for Love and Deepspace by giving her the chance to experience a new Love Interest. Since learning of his imminent removal, she said she had sent emails and messages in support of the character to the best of her ability–a sentiment too shared by many comments online.
Another post on the platform, which has received more than 5,000 upvotes, calls on Infold to "reconsider cancelling Valko". The post argues that doing so would not only satisfy players who had been anticipating the new Love Interest but also honour the work of the writers, artists, programmers, and others involved in creating the character.
"Please consider another solution instead of permanently cancelling him. Even if his release needs to be delayed until the current Love Interests receive the updates they deserve, I would gladly wait. I believe many other players would too," the user wrote.
What happened to Valko in Love and Deepspace?
Valko's controversy is more complicated than it first appears. Love and Deepspace, which has centred around its five Love Interests for the past few years, was finally set to introduce a sixth male lead, but many fans were unhappy for a number of reasons.
Many in the community believe Love and Deepspace has neglected the lore of its existing Love Interests, and introducing another only added to those concerns.
The situation was further exacerbated by elements of Valko's own lore, which allegedly referenced controversial slogans and numbers linked to real-world tragedies, including human experimentation during the Second World War and a recent domestic violence case in China. We explain the Valko controversy in full here.
