There are two wolves inside the Love and Deepspace fandom: one group that wanted the newly announced werewolf character, Valko, to stay gone, and another that has now signed petitions over 300,000 times in a desperate bid to bring him back.

Valko, a tech CEO werewolf, was introduced for the hit mobile romance game toward the end of June. Love and Deepspace, which has over 80 million unique downloads, was set to add him as the sixth love interest. However, those plans were swiftly axed by developer Papergames following a wave of online backlash. While some players were frustrated that the new character distracted from the existing five, others accused the China-based developer of catering too heavily to Western fans. The situation escalated to the point where reports claim fans mailed cow excrement to the studio’s headquarters.

⚡ Quick Facts
  • Game: Love and Deepspace
  • Character: Valko (Werewolf/Tech CEO)
  • Status: Canceled by developer Papergames
  • Petition Signatures: Over 310,000 across major platforms

The 'Streisand Effect' of Mobile Gacha

Paradoxically, the cancellation of the character seems to have supercharged his popularity. Since Papergames announced the decision to scrap Valko, fans have flocked to platforms like Change.org and iPetitions to demand his return. The movement has been so significant that the iPetitions campaign currently holds the top spots for recent signature volume on the entire site.

For context, these 310,000 signatures dwarf other high-profile gaming petitions, such as the 75,000 signatures gathered to protest Sony’s potential move to a fully digital PlayStation future by 2028. Reddit threads on the r/LoveAndDeepspace community suggest that the drama surrounding the removal is exactly what drew many players to the character in the first place.

Will Papergames Change Course?

Despite the overwhelming volume of signatures collected in just four days, Papergames appears to be holding its ground. The developer confirmed that Valko’s “Interactive Sessions” were removed from the Anime Expo event scheduled for this weekend. While the sheer scale of the petition is difficult to ignore, the studio has shown no signs of reversing its decision to cut the character from the mobile gaming title.