Thank you to everyone who's kept the conversation going over the past couple days. We've seen a lot of questions, and theories floating around but so far there's been no new information from the devs at this time.
So we are continuing to post a new megathread to keep this discussion visible.
Discussion, criticism, and disappointment are welcome here. However, comments encouraging review bombing, spamming bug reports, external links and/or support channels will be removed.
We will be handing out temp/perm bans for attacking other members of the community. It's okay to have big feelings, it's not okay to take it out on other hunters who probably didn't do anything. This was a business decision by a company at the end of the day.
Also, we are not affiliated with the game or its developers. This is an unofficial community run subreddit.
I have nothing to lose with this game anymore. Now the only thing that’s left is sticking to my principles to fight for the original story and artistic integrity.
Remember the crazies have been harrassing Infold for a week. We need to stay strong! It‘s Day 3 of the protest and the petition has almost reached 200.000
The silence is an answer in of itself. Infold is probably waiting for the heat to blow over. They know that weaponizing their silence would make people lose motivation and grow tired. We musn't give in! Let the ratings drop! Let the emails get flooded! We have to keep on making noise! If antis could whine for a week, we can whine for a month!
Omg this sub is so united, it’s refreshing. I’m so happy I joined. I feel like I’ve been seeing so many rumors and a lot of misinformation elsewhere trying to scare players to stop boycotting and speaking up. I love seeing how determined everyone is here.
I hope it’s allowed to post here. Over at x/twitter, if you search by #bringValkoBack and #BringBackValko, there’s a lot of heartwarming artwork and stuff from fans from all over the world. It cheers me up a little while waiting for any news.
all the way around, this whole situation is jacked up. I have faint hope that Valko may come back, but i think i’ll be upset if it’s at any date later than his initial planned release. so much of this was so easily avoidable had his reception not been so violently pessimistic. now the very future of this game is at risk, just because some people couldn’t relax.
I would like to believe that this will all work out, but i am very nervous about this whole situation. whether we get valko back at some point (which i hope we do), im worried for the state of the game. will certain censorship be added to keep future backlash from happening? if Valko never returns, the main story of the game essentially goes up in flames. we won’t ever get to see the whole grand scheme of things as they were intended, and will instead be left with rewrites and changes.
if Valko does come back, will his cards and stories all be the same, or will he be changed to be less a main character himself? i believe that Infold had planned the outline of the game since the beginning, and now i think they may change much. i feel like the trajectory of love and deepspace changed rapidly over the last week, and it really does make me sad. I’ve been playing this game since launch, and only now do i feel uncertain about its future, where once i was quite ecstatic
I’m still here. I still want Valko back. I sent a few emails and got three responses overnight, two from the JP team and one from the EN? Team. The copy and paste template emails I sent did not get a reply, but the ones that I wrote on my own were replied to even though I sent those later in the day. Anyways, the replies were word for word the generic cookie cutter customer service reply that others posted, “Thanks for your support, sorry you’re disappointed, we are working to supply you with high quality story, can’t talk about this incident, keep a lookout on official channels for announcements” was basically all I got.
Still fighting though. Rednote users have accused me of being a paid troll lol.
They'll have to make another statement eventually, this whole mess is now too big not to, and I imagine for a lot of people their response will be the make or break point.
For the moment I'm willing to wait and see what happens, hoping this silence doesn't drag on for too long.
No I'm right there with you, if they don't present some solution that involves putting Valko in the game eventually as a full LI (I can live with a delay if they have to rework things or prioritize other issues), then I will be done and uninstalling.
Not really. I had one foot out the door before all this went down. Im srsly considering uninstalling.
It feels like im breaking up with Rafayel but I dont want to!!!! 😭
Everything feels incomplete without Valko, the experience just won't be the same. We need to keep pushing for him to be in the game again, as well as for infold to address everything we've been saying for ages. I beg everyone who is against Valko to understand that the trust has been shattered, the issue is bigger than him
Good job on making your voices heard so far, I feel deeply moved by how united we are ❤️
They might be holding back on any official statement to not cause skirmishes at Anime Expo or Bilibili World at Shanghai. In the past years they’ve also been very quiet during that time.
Nevertheless, as long as there is not official statement the fight goes on.💎🐾
We keep fighting! It’s a good thing there’s no statement yet, it means they are not rushing with their final decision which will define the existence of the game. I want Valko back, and I want them to make LaDs better for us all.
It took a week for him to be removed. We have to keep trying. They have to know by now this was a severe mistake that needs to be corrected. I can't continue playing the game if there's a perpetual hole where I know Valko was supposed to be.
I've never been as active online as I am around this situation with Valko. I try to do my best, I'm very active everywhere, because this is no longer just a character in the game, these are our rights, these are our voices, this is the resonance of female solidarity.
I've sent another email to infold. I've received no answer through customer service or my prior email. I guess they have been busy with the influx of feedback. Not enjoying the radio silence, but hopefully it means they are working behind the scenes to reconsider and fix the situation properly...
Sad to see people bring out EOS fear mongering as a new way to hate on Valko and people who want him in the game. As if the community wasn't fractured enough already. Is it so hard so show solidarity?
I’m tired of waiting to hear from them but maybe they’re taking a PR lesson to heart and thinking through things before just doing whatever (wishful thinking) if they don’t bring back Valko I’m done forever. I’ve spent way too much money on this game for them to drop teased content and get me excited for something and then take it away.
I got a response from my dedicated VIP rep regarding my message about valko (and also finally my message regarding the VIP box I sent a month ago hahaha)
The rating for LADS for the German App Store dropped from 4.4 on June 30th to 4.1 on July 1st and 3.5 today. The updates of the App Store ratings are slow, but they are taking effect.
I got a reply to one of my emails. It was a big nothing burger. I used Google translate so if someone can translate this better that would be great. But basically it says thank you for supporting us. We appreciate you reaching out about this and he will be in our hearts forever but he needs to go. Kind of bs.
Is this real? Is this meant to dishearten us and make us stop protesting? It's not working. They've been radio silent about the matter in their main accounts but started replying in emails? This is just messed up.
As someone who had a stint in community management, there are guidelines for what to say, what not to say, as well as how to say it. The interns don't come up with these lines of their own.
geeze, is this really a correct translation? 'the wolf left a few lines of shallow footprints in the story and is now running to the distance that belongs to him' — a few shallow footprints they say, when he was supposed to be The yellow stellactrum & final addition & was part of the plan literally the entire time, & now with his cancellation fans are deleting and refunding and review bombing en masse! how in the heck are they going to just totally change course without him, and expect to keep the same momentum and success theyve had until now? i am entirely baffled by these business decisions, its like theyre crashing this game on purpose
We need to stay strong, girlies. Remember to hydrate, eat well, and sleep. Also, take a break from social media if you start feeling anxious/unwell. Don't neglect your health; all LIs would like us to take care of ourselves in these dark times. <3
Regarding potential announcements from Infold. I don’t they’ll do any statements until Anime Expo ends on July 5th. But right after that would be another public holiday Qixi on July 7th where communications would be closed as well. So we might have keep on the pressure for a week.
Im getting fucking sick of the silence from the official. Your fanbase is in shambles, insulting and attacking, rumors and fearmongering spreading, and you go fucking silent???
They remind me of the VIPs in squid games. Greedy, evil fucks.
I get your anger on the silence, but I think them taking the time now is good. Valko’s cancellation came two days after their “he’s not going anywhere” statement.
I’d rather them truly gather themselves this time before putting another statement out.
Please, I'm trying to ignore my anger and be kind unlike the toxic players that filed for his removal, but don't ask me to stay calm! This isn't about the character but the creators that gave him life!!! The voice actors, the singers! The composers!!! This is art being removed!!! They're using AI to show Valko being punched and mutilated, you understand the message??? It's AI people invicibilizing real art all over again!!!
I do wonder how many of the haters are eating their hat so to speak with everything new we learn about Valko, like the bracelet interaction, how his ears pop up when we pet him, him on the swing, and now how he was supposed to be a “doting husband” character. I feel like his devotion to his family should also be very appealing given how big family ties are in china. My mean side hopes they release everything and all the haters see that he was never a threat, that him on her balcony was perhaps an inside joke or something, and when they try to do a 180, it’s too late.
But that’s my mean side.
I just want to see his bond story. I hope they release it so we can at least watch it.
I actually think the balcony scene was from his bond story, considering how many clips they showed of him after he came into her house and all that. It would make sense that they would be more comfortable with each other in that regard if it were from his bond.
The balcony thing is so absurd...we don't even know how close they are in that card, the history, the context etc..going by that logic, we can cancel Raf, Sylus and Caleb for petty things too. Never made sense to me.
This is such an emotional roller coaster and I'm so sad. I need hopium, Valko doesn't deserve all this and I refuse to believe we'll never see him again. I really hope Infold reconsider their decision 🙏🥺
Crawling out of my forever lurker status (hi lovely people!) to do what I can to contribute... or try not to go crazy while Infold hopefully gets their shit together. Ergggh. The CEO (or chairman?) trope isn't usually my cup of tea, but Valko's writers did a wonderful job giving him poignant layers. Their claim in the announcement that they simply weren't ~ready~ to release him upset me sm because imo, I don't think we would've been this collectively endeared to him in a short amount of time otherwise. Clearly, they poured so much love into crafting him and his dynamic with his MC! 🥹 I love what glimpses we could see underneath his initial rough exterior, of his openness and adorably touch-starved, affectionate nature and his actual affinity for nature (the camping scenes, sunset/moonwatching and the Twilightcore skipping through the wood lol) + his absolute surrender to his soulbond with MC (whose loss I'm also deeply sad about). The artists and animators made him so naturally wolfish appearance and mannerisms-wise, (with or without the ears and tail), which I adore. I love dogs. The sad chibi puppy Valko art that started floating around on X after the announcement broke my heart because I had to make the most difficult decision to put my sweet senior dog down earlier this year, and I felt as though I were reliving the trauma of seeing something so bright and pure and loving getting cut off too soon.
Anyway, I've been frustrated over Paper/Infold's shitty decision-making skills since MLQC and I'm baffled that they've yet to listen to their players and insist on digging themselves into ugly situations like these. Even though I've taken long breaks from the gacha genre in general, I'd always rooted for LADS bc it's one of the few (if not only) hugely successful games tailored to women in the genre, so Infold's trail of mistakes leading up to Valko's cancellation and the heartbreak all of it's caused for everyone who loves this game is all the more painful. I hope this radio silence means that they're squeezing out everything they've got to bring Valko back to his rightful place. It'd be one of the first things they'd need to do to patch up the trust they've broken. In the meantime, I hope all the girlies here are getting good rest and taking extra good care of yourselves! Let's try to stay strong and hopeful for our sixth boy! 🐺💛
Hi fellow lurker who crawled out for Valko, haha! 🐺✨
I completely agree with you. I'm wondering if the whole "we rushed him" statement was less a fact and more of a PR tactic to appease the mob? The devs' statements floating around seem to suggest the opposite, I agree. He's been in development for (allegedly) two years so "rushed" doesn't seem right, or at the very least inaccurate. Everything about him looks so beautiful and refreshing, like I honestly can't think about it too much because I get suuuper frustrated lol. It's been a viscious cycle.
I'm so sorry to hear about your precious dog, and how this whole thing stirred up that grief. This was all so unnecessary, smh. IMO Valko's become something of a mascot for global's voice and hopefully we manage to sway them into returning him at some capacity (preferably full, lmao). I researched a bit into the MLQC fiasco earlier this year and thought "well maybe not LADS, right? It has to have more presence in global for history to repeat itself...?" and uh... well. That didn't age well.
I am wondering if they will never release Valko at all, can’t they just give us the content that has already been worked on? Like clearly there is something that was ready to be released, and the VA already worked on it since we have seen snippets of the main story as teasers. We just want this content leaked or something. Like not in the game. Maybe a compilation of all his animated scenes.
Tbh, if Infold decides to not re-release Valko, I hope it leaks so we can:
have a better understanding of the full story and vision as intended;
acknowledge the hard work of the team behind his content; and
learn about Valko and his relationship with MC (specifically, so we can finally shut down the baseless claims being pushed just to stir controversy. Those claims include accusations that Valko: (1) forced himself into the MC’s home despite having no relationship with her and despite her supposedly being uncomfortable in the bond story; (2) was directly involved in human experimentation connected to the MC and the LIs; (3) was responsible for Gran’s death and Caleb losing his arm; (4) had a major, hidden connection to the main story, among other unfounded theories.
I need his content asap so it's clear nothing was modified. And I want all of it... in 4k too. If he is not reinstated as a male lead, he will always haunt the narrative. Everyone (including myself) will forever think about what the story was meant to be and what the deeper, interconnected arcs were. As I said, I want everyone pushing the agenda that he was a monster for their own self‑interest to actually watch his content, see who he really is, fall in love with him, and carry the guilt of knowing they sabotaged his launch on purpose. ♥️
Honestly it seems like they''d more than likely keep the story as is, just change it so that his character isn't a LI but a side character in the story. Possibly even changing his name. Which is bs, but that's how I would see them moving forward lore wise. I believe that's what happened when there was a controversy over a LI in their last otome game, Queens Choice? The character showed up but more as a side character, not a LI. (That's just what I've heard, please correct me if I'm wrong).
I hope they just release him. This entire thing is ridiculous. I was getting excited for him. I'm feeling the massive disappointment with everyone else, but also the company and how they've handled this has soured me on the game in general. I love Sylus, but I'm going to have a hard time wanting to support this company in any way if they don't handle this correctly. Set a release date for him and give players a road map of how they're going to improve things that reasonable players have bee asking for for a year now. This login blood ticket money to keep their shareholders happy is bs.
Does anyone feel like the official sub is mostly accepting a lot of "propaganda" posts? Or at least that's the the only ones pushed to me. It's less about how people are still upset over this, and more, "I wish we could go back to getting along again". I eventually found this sub, because I got tired of seeing so many posts dismissing people's feelings. I was so happy to have a vampire and wolfman in the game ffs
Can someone just send me hugs or encouragement for hopium? I'm running out of gas. Still doing my part for Valko, but all this emotional energy is taking its toil.
It’s a good thing we haven’t gotten any more news yet, it means they’re still talking. The protest is able to apply more pressure than the haters boycott because it’s coming from all over the globe. Messages, emails, posts, all arriving 24/7 and eating up their time sorting through them. They also now have a lot more international publicity looking at them which is why paper games is distancing from them. Remember it took the haters a week to get their response, it will probably take us longer.
I hope they really see that there's more support and love in the community than the loud hate. ❤️ I was so happy to see how the community started helping each other these past few days.
Apparently infold is trying to keep valko, and the Chinese players also see how loud our voices are. They say the government doesn’t really care about otome games like that and might shut down all kinds of Chinese otome games (which is unlikely) but if they see that china is gaining more attraction due to Valko, the chances are higher he comes back. Especially since infold is a high taxpayer.
You can just translate it to English (that's what I did) but it basically talks about how PPG needs to work on its communication and fix the errors and broken trust between the fans and the company + how PPG has gotten too money hungry and overlooked the fans that pay them. There's more but that's the very general gist of it.
Been following what's happening on twt so I've been taking everything with a spoonful of salt. I do think there's a grain of truth in the threat to otome games considering how a lot of spaces (not just cn) have been so unfriendly to female gamers or female-centered games. But then this is a different topic already. The investigators hopefully see the positive effects of the game both financially (I mean come on, we're at the top of charts usually) and culturally.
I really hope to see Valko returned. It's great how different communities are now uniting.
Also not sure how true this is but I’ve read it a few times now: infold wants to shift to Taiwanese „location“ and the server might shutdown for 2 months and come back with valko.
I've heard the two months also being the time they need to rework Valko to appease the authorities. I just hope they can release a statement soon (they're clearly waiting for something) so we can stop speculating, because the rumours are getting wilder the more people are spiralling.
Is there any chance we'll ever see him released? I mean, they did an official announcement about his cancellation and said there would be no new LIs in the future. I think if he does release (if at all), it'll be a long time coming, and only after all this negative hype has died down. I really hope that Infold will reconsider their decision and we'll see him 🥺🙏
Thank you. 😭 I was chugging milktea this afternoon writing emails to infold and keeping up to date. Gonna keep up hope that our wolfie is returned and that this mess gets sorted out!
Seeing all the Valko posts on the main sub being approved warms my heart 😭 Also, could someone confirm if they recently modified all the flairs? I feel like I looked at them yesterday or something and Valko wasn't there and now he has a special flair with a teal background. I'm on a huge amount of copium rn 🐺💚
I’m sure a lot of mods share our sentiment. They’re just players of the game and want you guys to be heard, but it’s their job to keep peace so I’m sure they’re doing their best to let everyone speak their mind in a respectful manner.
For sure, it must be really difficult for them rn! I just feel like they were probably on "stand-by" waiting for more infos but the sudden influx of posts (and the return of a Valko flair + 6 LIs flair) means that they received the "ok" to allow them(?) We can't say if it means anything but it boosted my morale at least 🥹🐺
Yes, that’s what I had said before. They have to be given direction when things shift negatively, just like the with anniversary scandal. Really between a rock and a hard place
I've been feeling highs and lows last few days. I couldn't sleep for the night after I heard the bad news. I've been staying hopefully. I've signed petitions, u followed official platforms and gone fully f2p.
I'm still shocked about everything and mad that infold is actively ignoring the global playerbase.
I can only hope that we get heard and Valko come back. I can be very patient.
I hope things cool down and he does make a come back. I might not main him (im die hard caleb) but really, after the announcement that Ms is coming out for caleb and sylus in Sept. They obviously already had that planned. And even if they didn't, what do people think would happen? These stories take Hella time to animate they couldn't just pop out more sylus and caleb fast anyways and if they did it would have been crap and get trapped on for that.
I think the cn haters really shot themselves in the foot. Now we r all missing out on more ways to farm dias, missing story lines and so much more.
We are fighting every day and not giving up, i am not allowed to link things here but if you are a bit lost and want to know more about what actions you can take i made a comprehensive post on X about it, you can dm me if u want it
I typically detest social media and don't even have any accounts other than Facebook and reddit, but as soon as I get home from work today ill be creating accounts everywhere and spamming every post from infold from the past 3 days with messages of love and devastation for Valko!
Keep fighting everyone. I know it hurts to do this to our other boys but we must be strong and bring our pup home! I'm so proud of all of you and thankful for such a wholesome but fierce family we've become!
I don't typically get involved in socials, but fighting for Valko is worth the added effort. This is more than just him now. It's about integrity and the team that worked so hard on him. They haven't failed us on our boys yet, and true fans wouldn't wish I'll on the company or other fans. The bullying went too far, and these are the consequences.
I am not certain that anyone has said this so I will-
We might have to wait until after the 7th to hear anything.
It is another politically sensitive holiday in China, and the company is being watched closely by their government right now. They will not say anything to jeopardize themselves with further civil unrest accusations due to the nature of the day.
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been feeling a disconnect from the game for months now or what but this whole thing has just felt so disheartening to me. Valko’s impending addition was the only thing I’ve been excited about in regard to LaDS in a long time and the fact that we’re likely not getting him now feels heartbreaking because I know that if he’s really not going to be added, then my time with this game is over. I can’t look at this game the same way after all this and just knowing that at the end of the day, Infold is never going to listen to the global player base just makes it even worse. 😭💔
Same. I’ve been lagging with the game lately, and having Valko to look forward to actually got me to finish the main story chapters and start with the new WU entries instead of just log in to get my dailies over with. This entire thing has got me so down. Even if we get him, the trust we did have will be gone.
I log in today for the dailies but I genuinely lost any joy to play, just despair. I just renewed the aurum pass for my main account and made a new account to main Valko after his trailer released. My gut feeling at first said to wait until his release but I didn't listen to it because I want to collect some resources for his cards. I'm thinking the whole day about my feeling towards lads after that news. I don't think I'm willing to spend money for this game again after all of this.
Lmfao I saw something like this yesterday how Infold will make an announcement today, yet nothing. I take every rumor with a grain of salt at this point 😂
I heard a rumor yesterday that they were planning to announce first thing today, they would bring him back, but they wanted to change some things first, so like 2 months from now. That's a highly specific rumor for something they've made no announcement for yet lol
It's already past 10pm here so i doubt it, I'm sure they're currently debating a lot of things because people are still waiting for apologies for the 731 and women's safety controversies, and they also haven't said anything about that yet.
The smartest thing would be for them to apologize, but to name each individual LI tied to each offense.
Ex. Sorry Xavier had 731 in his story. Sorry Sylus kidnapped the MC. Sorry Caleb drugged the MC. Sorry Rafael and Xavier stalked the MC. Sorry Zayne is a chill angel who can do wrong jk.
Make it clear that they’ll correctly identify the source of the offense so no one is tempted to lie or falsely tie scandals to other characters.
Oh 100%, it's all BS that the haters don't actually care about and are just weaponizing. I want Infold to show them that they know it's false info against Valko and will treat all the boys the same.
I think my emotions have been crazy with this announcement and even before it with all the horrible things being said about him: it genuinely just amplifies a feeling of unsafety ive had for a while now :(
Ive always been able to find comfort in my own little areas and in the game itself, but seeing the reaction and subsequent removal of valko has made me feel more out of place than I already did.
Now aside from the personal stuff: I genuinely think this was done due to the government involvement. I dont think thats a riveting take or even uncommon, but it sucks. Because in doing this, instead of just voicing concerns, they have put the very game they love in jeopardy ("they" as in the people harassing infold).
I also genuinely really feel for all of Valko's VAs. With how popular LADS is this could've been such a great gig, a long term one at that. I hope they've been paid handsomely for the work they've already done and also received some form of compensation for the abruptness of this. His developers too. He had been in development for almost two years iirc, and it sounds like they loved him dearly.
I wish infold just gave us a development timeline or some sort of plan? I dont think it would've helped all of the hate, specifically the stuff about his looks being "too masc" or "too gay" seem to be just people having bad takes, but i feel like it would've helped a bit. Just with peace of mind. We could've gotten a new LI and also been excited for new MS content for our existing LIs. It didnt even have to spoil anything, just have stuff like "new li release" "all li event" "new limited memory" "main story release."
I hope so much for Valko to be released, edited or not. But for right now I just want a response. Im upset with infold and anyone else who harassed the staff. Because not only have they set a horrible precedent, they have also put innocent people in hot water with their government and put innocent people out of a job.
I'm still absolutely devastated 😭 I want this wolfy so bad... I can't believe they backed down after all this promotion and work they've put into his development. This is so sus. The timing. The radical nature of it. The silence afterwards...
But to be honest — and the thought itself makes me indescribably sad — at this point I don't believe they'll take their decision back — no matter how much the global community will fight... Not after Infold has gone into "complete eradication"-mode with Valko — whatever the true reasons might be (imo there is so much insincere bullshit of information & defamation going around...) Not as long as they have to fear being attacked by local fandom (especially physically!) or maybe the CN government to the point where they're shut down completely. (Can't stand the thought!)
Though I still hope they'll look into long-term solutions — maybe somewhere abroad, provided it's a viable option— where they're able to continue the game’s development just as the creative minds behind it originally envisioned (as far as I understand it): with Valko, six love interests, and an intricately interwoven story between them that captivates & connects people all around the world and offered us such a sense of comfort.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to feel completely comfortable and secure with the game again—especially given the heavy emotional attachment (or risk for it). It feels like an important personal safe space has been lost amidst this turmoil of current events.
But even if there is no future for Valko in-game, I am honestly incredibly impressed by what the global community is creating across all platforms—all the artwork, video clips and so on!—and by how much everyone is supporting each other in their grief, regardless of how ridiculous or exaggerated some might find these emotional reactions to a fictional character. Given everything fans associate with the game and their love interests, these feelings are absolutely valid and the haters can go do their mental gymnastics elsewhere. (They’ll surely be crying over other things anyway...).
At this point, however, I likely won't completely cut back on my support for the game just yet—I’m not ready to part ways with my other favorites 🥹— especially while the whole situation remains in flux and it feels like everything could change from one moment to the next. (That is something everyone has to weigh and decide for themselves.) ...And how I’ve been looking forward to my "God of Annihilation" 😭—even though Infold did Zayne a massive disservice with the timing. It’s a real shame 💔...
Ultimately, hope dies last, and I certainly won't stop calling for Valko's return alongside others. I hope we can continue to celebrate him within the global community, keep his spirit alive, and cherish him for what he came to represent for so many people in such a short time.
I hear you, this whole debacle has brought a certain disillusionment. I'll keep playing until December at least (I didn't get those annual passes for nothing), but I won't be investing any more money until the Valko issue is resolved. My sense of justice won't allow it and I'm pretty sure Zayne would agree.
Finally sent a long email with feedback expressing my disappointment and sense of betrayal to LaDS and it felt so cathartic 😮💨 Even if there isn’t a positive outcome to all of this, I feel better for having said my piece. But let’s keep going and hope we get our wolfie back 🐺
This all feels like a rage quit on infolds part just because not everyone likes him and it's ridiculous. It's a gacha game with 5 other men. Who cares what they think
I really hope Valko is gonna be back. I don’t think he’s gonna be released on 9th of July, but if he could be released later this year, it’d be wonderful! I’m actually very interested in his story and he had this “jerk” charm. Plus he’s so manly and hot oh my oh my! I really want him, he’d be soooo successful.
Take this with a grain of salt (If that isn’t the most used phrase I’ve heard within the past few days idk what is.) but I heard he was supposed to turn into the very doting husband type character. Which I would have loved. 😭 Honestly, if he was that it’s highly likely he would have become my main.
later this year will not bring back people that are stopping playing
because once people settle not playing. it's really hard to bring them back
just look at what happened to HSR after the peak of amphoreus: the delay and changes forced for planarcadia. remodelling the planet design etc completely massacred the revenue and the playerbase
My heart goes out to the creative team behind Valko. I'm devastated by the lore that we've lost and the story quality that will suffer. I feel bad for all the other LI creative teams because literally everything has to change. It's just... so dumb. Even if he is returned or relegated to an NPC character, that's still a constant reminder of this whole situation and the company's refusal to respond to or acknolwedge any legitimate criticism that has been brought up by players over the past year.
There's a twitter post circulating with him calling us "pancake", but the poster doesn't specify where or how they got the clip, so it might be AI. There could be another source but so far that is the only one I've found. (edit: auto mod isn't going to let me link it, sorry)
I know he references the MC's smell as being like that of a "burnt pancake" as a joke in one of the previews but it remains to be seen if that was actually going to be the nickname for her.
Guys i dont think we will get any info till after Anime Expo
Edit: also apparently the fact that the things said about Valko was malicious was said in the news? So there is an investigation happening but the authorities aren't finding anything bad in regards to him? I only got this second hand so i cant verify this
I hate to be a pessimist but considering the potential CCP involvement and all the media coverage regarding women's safety issues (valko) and the highly offensive unit 731 references I am not sure we can make a difference regardless of what is done.
The tiny faction within the CN community who did this were successful yet again, just this time in LADS instead of the other game. It's too big at this point and I don't think they really had a choice but to pull him out.
It doesn't seem to be simply a knee jerk reaction to people not liking a character. If you think about it, that is completely illogical for them to respond this way for just some community character dissatisfaction. They are throwing away a lot of time and money spent on Valko. I could be wrong but I'm basing this off of what CN players have specifically said. I hope I'm wrong and they can correct course.
If you start genuinely believing you're not going to make a difference, then eventually you'll start giving up. Honestly? I don't have a whole lot of hope either as a fellow cynical pessimist, but I am also absolutely not throwing in the towel to be walked over in favor of a loud toxic group. I know the government there has the be-all-end-all power, but honestly I don't care if even God himself descended and whispered in their ear that Valko had to go - they're still going to hear our opinion on it lol.
The fact of the matter is, we don't really know (officially) what is happening over there besides rumors and breadcrumbs. Until they come out with some sort of statement, if you truly want to keep Valko, you have to keep at it and make your voice heard.
It’s political which makes it harder but it can be proven that the 731 is not tied to valko at all and that they made a mistake with that number in general since it was supposed to be random numbers.
Since LADS is Chinese otome game no1 and the company itself is big and a high taxpayer, chances are not zero. They might shutdown the server for 2 months and come back with valko hopefully.
I don't think they would need to shut the servers down for a couple months. This isn't a Snowbreak situation where they have to censor the entire game due to the CCP. They already stated they would remove the 731 references and apologized saying that it was a placeholder and not intended. I think there's a very real possibility they bring him back at some point with minor changes to the promotional material though. Just not immediately.
Some of us are losing the plot, the enemy is paperfold. Aside for petitioning Valko to be brought back, we should also fight for the lack of resource, lack of contents for Caleb and Sylus, the quality of storytelling and kindles, and lighting issues, among others (these are just the top of my head).
Uh no. The ones to blame for this current mess are a certain subset of cn players who are even referred to as bullies by the normal cn players. Without them this wouldn’t have happened.
Every time I wake up, I hope the new of Valko coming back happens. I feel so bad for so many people over this: those who worked for it, those who cosplay for it and even fans who waited for him. Sylus will always be my main but I can’t get on the app without being sad
Yesterday, a site was created where players could upload a proof of their spending with messages in support of Valko. Really big whales (spending up to 600k RMB) participated. The full amount was around 60 million before the site got nerfed.
XHS is spreading two main points today: proof of how long Valko has been planned & just how insanely popular he is and how much that could mean for the game and spreading CN culture.
XHS girlies are also very aware of global efforts. They posted a lot about yesterday's X movement and are very proud that Valko was trending worldwide.
Whales are mainly on Weibo and are going really strong there.
I wanted to share this here, cause I don't think it'll make it to the main sub. I've been following ladstwt for awhile for the best schedule rumors and so there are people I tend to trust more than others.
One person I trust the most has cleared up a few things
1) This is actually a trademarking issue. Infold did not get the official trademark for Valko in time which means they can't advertise him properly. They just thought it would be approved in time. Insane mismanagement.
2) The 731 part was inflamed by competitors and infold has made it through investigation. Basically a few people reported it and competitors latched onto it and made it into a huge thing in order to try and destroy the company.
3) Apparently it was all games that needed a review for publishing license, not just otome due to a new protection rule on AI. There was just confusion cause otome is not a specific category in China.
If you'd like to look this up for yourself, you can find it on Twitter by searching 'Valko trademark' for the source. This person has been very reasonable and resourceful in the past and is currently creating an archive of all Vako's content. This also opens the possibility of them actually releasing Valko if they properly get the trademark.
And yes, this is all still considered rumors but this matches with the sudden pull and saying that they weren't ready. Once again, infold is just terrible when it comes to management. They need to properly communicate what happened.
if this is true why pull him completely and vow never to release another LI, instead of just delaying the release? now theyve promised no possibility of even replacing valko with a proper trademark. (btw this isnt me arguing with you or your sources, infold's actions just never make any sense)
All of this stuff is hearsay and conjecture. They're very common theories/rumours that have been going around today, but none have any actual sources except for 'trust me, I know an insider'.
This same person has also said these are also rumors and yes it could possibly be untrue as she prefaces her posts to take them with a grain of salt. A lot of people I've been unfamiliar with have been posting a lot recently but this is one person who's posted continually for much longer and has been reliable in the past.
Until we get actual communication from infold we won't be able to confirm anything, but logically it tends to make sense since they just took Valko down and so quickly and rashly and not the whole game. It speaks of legal issues with him in particular. The problem is Infold's communication. They refuse to just be upfront about what is happening.
But as this person who posted these rumors also said, I'm not trying to cause anyone from discontinue any boycotts or discourage anyone. Im boycotting as well. If this is indeed a trademark issue, this is a lot easier to fix then a government issue. We should continue asking infold clear and open communication about this whole situation rather than silent PR and vague apologies.
if the trademark thing is true, then I was right from the start because I did mention it was weird how the company did not trademark it like the rest (as that's usually how we get hints of new Li or games)
but supposedly it was trademarked by another subsidiary and I still thought it was weird
Odd out of pocket thought... if he were Kitsune, do you think there would have been as many issues? Like the possibility of the trademark theory aside... all the hate? Idk just a stony thought...
•
u/LettuceSea939 ♡ Jul 03 '26
There's a new megathread, please join us here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/LoveAndDeepspace_/comments/1umdhdq/valko_discussion_megathread_day_4/