“Love and Deepspace” recently announced the cancellation of the launch and subsequent development of the sixth male protagonist Valko (Ao Yin), and promised that there will no longer be new male protagonists who can be conquered in the future, hoping to quell the large-scale controversy caused by Chinese players. Unexpectedly, the official intention to stop the bleeding accidentally ignited another storm. Since Valko has many supporters in overseas communities such as Europe, America, and Japan, after the official announcement of the cancellation of the character, a large number of overseas players immediately launched a “Bring Back Valko” petition, hoping that Fangzhi would reconsider the decision. So far, the number of signatures has exceeded 200,000, and the number continues to increase.
Not only did they sign online, some people also went directly to the headquarters to protest!
In addition to online petitions, the incident has now even spread offline. According to multiple media reports, some overseas players went to protest outside the Shanghai headquarters of Paper Folding Game, hoping that the official would allow Valko to return to the game. Some people shared photos and videos of the scene on the community to hold a symbolic “farewell ceremony” for this new character who was canceled before his official debut. Many overseas players believe that officials should not directly cancel new characters that have been publicly promoted just because of opposition from some markets. Otherwise, players around the world will have to bear the consequences.
Officials are now in a dilemma
But on the other hand, Chinese players started a massive controversy precisely because they opposed the addition of a sixth male protagonist. Now that the official announcement has been made to cancel Valko, many players in the Chinese community think this is the right decision; however, overseas players want the character to be resurrected, forming completely different positions on both sides, and putting the official in a dilemma. Some media analysts pointed out that this incident reflects the huge gap in the expectations of players in different markets after the global operation of “Love and Deepspace”. Regardless of whether the official chooses to maintain the cancellation or re-launch Valko in the future, it may once again cause dissatisfaction among players on the other side.
A werewolf upset players all over the world
What game companies usually fear most is that players won’t discuss it. But what “Love and Deepspace” is facing now is that players are discussing it too fiercely, and each market wants different answers. It can only be said that Valko may be the most dramatic new character in the gaming industry in recent years. Even before officially entering the game, players around the world have been divided into two groups, even making noise all the way to the official headquarters.