There’s a new turn in the Love and Deepspace drama surrounding the reveal and subsequent cancellation of the game’s sixth love interest, the werewolf Valko, and it seems to be the deathblow for the folks campaigning to get him back in the game. Earlier this week, Papergames, the developers of Love and Deepspace, announced that it would pull the gacha game’s booth and panel from BilliBilli World 2026, one of Asia’s largest anime and gaming conventions. In a statement posted to Chinese social media and translated on Reddit, Papergames wrote that Love and Deepspace “has garnered widespread attention from all sectors of society, causing significant distress to all players and creating a negative impact.”
Pulling out of the Chinese equivalent of Anime Expo is certainly bad, but there’s yet another twist to the story that seems to signify that Valko may be dead for good and all because now, the Chinese government has weighed in. The Ministry of Public Security made a post on its official news site referencing Valko. Specifically, the post mentions text taken from Valko’s marketing campaign which has him breaking into the female player character’s home and says that “if a game packages such behavior as a ‘fun interaction,’ it may be suspected of promoting and glorifying illegal and criminal methods.” The post goes on to say, “This kind of entertainment-driven, traffic-driven creative work disregards public order and morality, crosses legal boundaries, and may ultimately endanger public safety,” and that while a video game is fantasy, it can have real-world impact. In an effort to back this up, it then cites a 2018 case in which a young man killed his neighbor, allegedly in search of the same “thrill” he got from playing a violent video game.
China’s Ministry of Public Safety posted an announcement this morning. Translated in image 2.
The article confirms my essays’ points. The issue is no longer about Valko’s appearance. It has already escalated geopolitically.
For original text, read here: https://t.co/PB4L22KO53 pic.twitter.com/K2iZnziuGu
— Jin ❖ジン 🐦⬛🦊 | Read 📌 (@JIN_Yamashina) July 8, 2026
The Chinese government has enormous sway over what kinds of content is permissible in a video game. If it takes the time to say “any content production that deliberately blurs the lines of illegality, glorifies dangerous behavior, or undermines public safety will ultimately be subject to legal sanctions and public resistance,” I’m so sorry, Valko fans, but the block is way too hot for him to be released any time soon. The announcement from the Ministry of Public Security provides a useful bit of context to Papergames’ full capitulation to the demands of the anti-Valko player base: It seems that in order for Papergames to avoid the hammer coming down on its business, Valko got the sickle.
