The developer of romance game Love and Deepspace, Infold, has stuck by its decision to exclude the werewolf love interest Valko from the game's latest Version 6 update, despite a sustained fan campaign urging his return. Valko had originally been due for release on 9 July, but was cancelled following a negative reaction from a vocal section of the player base in China. When the update went live, fans found no Valko on the character selection screen, where a previous "coming soon" label had been replaced by a blank space, prompting reactions ranging from heartbreak to anger to continued hope.

Infold first announced Valko's cancellation on 30 June, just a week after revealing him, and stated that no additional love interests would be introduced in future content plans, leaving the game with its existing five. In an official statement, the company said it had "moved forward with the introduction of Valko before we were truly ready" and apologised to players; rewards planned for the Valko-themed Hunt In Linkon event were instead distributed free via in-game mail. The controversy was further complicated by Chinese government intervention, with the Ministry of Public Security News and Media condemning a marketing scene as disregarding "public order and morality", after which Infold cancelled fan events in China and Japan and issued further apologies. Launched in January 2024, the game has since surpassed 31 million downloads and over $1 billion in player spending.