The hit otome mobile game Love and Deepspace is facing one of the most intense community backlashes in recent mobile gaming history. The uproar centers on the sudden reveal of its sixth male love interest, Ao Yin (known as Valko in English versions), and has spilled from social media into real-world protests at the developer’s headquarters.
Papergames unveiled Ao Yin on June 22, 2026, during a livestream. The character is portrayed as a 26-year-old werewolf clan leader and chairman of a technology conglomerate. His design features a more muscular build, red hair, wolf-like traits, and a distinctly Western-influenced aesthetic compared to the game’s existing five male protagonists, who follow a more refined, East Asian-inspired style.
Why the Backlash Exploded
Players voiced strong objections to the character’s visual design, calling it inconsistent with the game’s established art direction and labeling it one of the least appealing male leads in Chinese otome games. However, deeper frustrations quickly surfaced. Many longtime fans accused Papergames of neglecting the original five love interests. Reports indicated that main storylines for characters such as Caleb and Sylus had gone without meaningful updates for over 500 days in some cases.
The reveal felt abrupt to many, with no prior story buildup or gradual integration into the existing narrative. This perception was compounded by earlier communications from customer support that appeared to downplay plans for additional male leads. For a genre built on emotional investment and parasocial relationships, these issues struck a nerve.
The scale of the reaction was immediate and severe. Official Chinese social media accounts for Love and Deepspace reportedly lost around 1 million followers across platforms in the days following the announcement.
Protests Turn Physical
What began online quickly moved offline. As part of the promotional campaign for Ao Yin, Papergames installed a large Valko-themed display and balloon outside its office. In response, some players took extreme measures.
Reports from Chinese social media and local coverage describe protesters leaving white and yellow chrysanthemums, cow dung placed in delivery lockers (with visitors noting a noticeable odor), curse banners, and traditional ritual items such as glutinous rice and pomelo leaves around the display area.
In Chinese culture, white and yellow chrysanthemums are strongly associated with funerals and mourning. Sending them to a person or company is widely interpreted as a death wish or severe expression of disapproval. Glutinous rice and pomelo leaves are traditionally used in spiritual cleansing rituals to ward off evil spirits. In this context, they were deployed sarcastically to suggest the new character or the company’s decisions represented something that needed to be “cleansed.”
One protester reportedly delivered a banner reading “The new male lead is a wild boar.” Some individuals were seen making obscene gestures in photos taken near the office. Papergames responded by increasing security around its headquarters and restricting public access to prevent further provocative incidents.
Company Response and Media Scrutiny
In the early hours of June 28, 2026 (China time), Papergames issued an official statement. The company confirmed that Ao Yin would remain the sixth male lead, stated that main story updates for Caleb and Sylus were in development, and offered players compensation in the form of 20 free wish tickets (10 Limited and 10 Standard).
The response drew immediate criticism. State-affiliated outlet Beijing Daily published multiple commentaries questioning the sincerity of the statement. One piece framed the controversy as a broader crisis of trust between the developer and its core player base. A follow-up article titled “Six Questions for Love and Deep Space” highlighted the lack of a direct apology, the timing of the response after massive complaints, and doubts about whether promises to support existing characters would be fulfilled.
Ao Yin is scheduled to officially release alongside Version 6.0 on July 9, 2026. His reception upon launch may determine whether the current storm subsides or deepens.
Major Reversal: Valko Canceled
On June 30, 2026, the official Love and Deepspace account posted a detailed open letter to players, announcing a complete reversal. [](grok_render_citation_card_json={"cardIds":["edd3ea"]})
In the letter titled “A Letter to All Players,” the company issued a sincere apology for the frustration caused by the Version 6.0 announcement and related issues. They stated:
- They have decided to cancel the launch and any further development of the new love interest Valko. No additional love interests will be introduced in future content plans.
- Other planned Version 6.0 features (Home 2.0, AR Photobooth, limited-time events, etc.) will proceed as scheduled.
- Rewards originally tied to events (outfits, photo poses, Nighthush Box) will be sent to all players for free via in-game mail.
- The team will now focus entirely on developing stories and long-term content for the five existing love interests.
- Specific upcoming content: Rafayel’s new Solar-Slot Memories and Companion in July; Farspace Colonel Caleb and Onychinus Leader Sylus Main Story branches in September and November (with opportunities to obtain 5-Star Memories for free via events).
- Daily login compensation: Players logging in each day for the next 30 days will receive one Deepspace Wish via mail (total of 30 wishes).
The letter ends with repeated apologies, acknowledging the hurt caused to players and reaffirming commitment to the existing community and characters. It uses the hashtag #LADSValkoCanceled.
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