I want to make this post for the people who are feeling discouraged and giving up.
Don’t stop fighting. I know it might feel draining and please don’t forget to take care of yourself. But do what you can. Our protest has only blown up even more. IGN wrote an article, change.org posted about the petition. People who don’t even know what lads is are advocating for Valko’s release. Someone donated $7000 to the petition and there is a whole website made for him now.
We’ve made amazing progress and now isn’t the time to start giving up.
Infold was firm in releasing Valko until the government got involved. They cancelled him in a panic to do damage control.
But as far as I’m aware there is no reason for the government to do anything. The 731 incident was a mistake by Infold which they corrected and it wasn’t even anything to do with Valko. On the log in screen they have legal text which prevents occurrences like this from harming them.
Infold is a big money maker for them. The US is their second biggest spender. Why would they want to squash such a big flow of money to their country?
And please keep unfollowing the offical accounts!! Whatever you think of the reviewing and logging in or not, I feel like unfollowing is still very important.
It shows the disappointment and anger in our community without doing any severe damage that could actually tank the company. This will affect their PR. It already has. Keep going.
Actionable Ideas for Challenging Infold Over Valko's Release (Updated!)
A lot of LADS fans are really upset over Infold's decision to shelve Valko. This is my attempt at creating action items for fans wanting to do something but are unsure where to start.
Here are some methods for giving Infold feedback:
Sign this petition and this petition
Reply to their posts on X (Twitter)
Comment on their Instagram posts and unfollow them
Comment on their Facebook posts and unfollow them
Comment on their YouTube videos and unfollow them
Comment on their XHS/RedNote posts and unfollow them
Join their official Discord Server and voice your dissatisfaction
Leave a 1-star review on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store
Complete the survey in the Love and Deepspace app by selecting the box/pencil icon in the top right corner of the home screen
"Suggest" Valko's release in the Love and Deepspace app by going to Settings > More > Support, then select "Suggestion"
(If you want to be slightly passive-aggressive) On 9 July, go to Settings > More > Support, then select "Bug Report" and fill out the report stating that the promised Valko content is missing
Uninstall the LADS app after sending feedback, unless you want to continue using Support as another place to give repeated feedback
Remember: if we want Infold to listen to us, we MUST remain persistent, civil, and demonstrate our affection for the game. I highly doubt they will be intimidated by non-CN players, which means we are held to a different standard. What is effective for them will not be effective for us.
With that said, remember these do's and dont's:
Do vary your written feedback. Making each piece of feedback you give at least slightly different, particularly in emails, will ensure your thoughts are not filtered out.
Do repeatedly submit/post/send your feedback over the next few weeks. Email them today, in a few days, on 9 July, and in the weeks after. Post on their social media every day. Overwhelm them and show them this isn't going to go away over a few free Wishes.
Do prepare to CONTINUE submitting/posting/sending your feedback over the next few months. Infold needs to see that we won't let this issue go. Schedule emails to be sent to them over the next 3 months. Draft X posts today and copy and paste them to post in a few months time. Draft your long-form in-app feedback in preperation for the update and the upcoming banners. Create reminders to check and comment on their posts weekly. Don't let them get comfortable. Be a dog with a bone (lol).
Do maintain a polite tone in your feedback (even when you are issuing a threat like leaving the game).
Do specify your current disappointments, long-term criticisms, and expectations for the future of the game should you continue to play. For example, don't just say you want more Main Story updates; specify that you want them every three months.
Do clearly isolate your long-term issues with the game from the current issue of Valko's release. Make it clear that those issues are not resolved by delaying or permanently canceling Valko's debut.
Do talk positively about whatever you can (ie. enjoying other LIs, enjoying the content of the Main Story itself, appreciating the worldbuilding, etc). This may feel difficult, but it demonstrates that you are a passionate player. Infold can assume that a player so invested in the game would need something drastic to push them to leave.
Don't use profanity.
Don't reference CN players.
Don't bring up Infold's past mistakes. We need to stay focused on the current issues.
Don't criticize anything about Valko's teased content. This one may be unpopular, I know. If Infold is pulling back Valko's release, I don't think it's likely that they will be willing to invest any more time and money into his development. If they continue to get more and more criticisms about him and don't care to change anything about him, they will never release him. I'm not minimizing any fan's concerns; I'm suggesting we choose a priority.
If you are unsure where to start, here are some talking points:
Express your excitement over Valko (bonus points if you give reasons why). Did you come back from a long hiatus for him?
Express your disappointment over not having Valko in the game. How will it impact your enjoyment of the game?
Describe how you prepared for his anticipated arrival.
• In-game (farm for dias, bought packs, etc)
• On your devices (created storage space, bought a new device, etc)
• Financially (budgeted for buying packs upon his release, etc)
Describe how you engaged in fandom around Valko. Did you create fanart, fanfiction, or other fanworks? How much were you consuming fanworks showcasing him? Demonstrating how beloved he was before any real content of his being released indicates a warm reception if/when he is released.
What are the current issues you experience with the game? Be specific. Describe exactly how they impact your gameplay. Suggest a concrete way those issues could be resolved. Assert that Valko's release being postponed or canceled will not resolve these issues.
Express concern for the changes to their planned story arc his absence would create. Question if those changes would be as enjoyable as their original plan.
(If you're feeling up to it) Acknowledge the amount of time, effort, and money that must have gone into creating Valko. Let them know it would disappoint you to see it go to waste.
Infold made a terrible decision. We need to take action and let Infold know that a large portion of the LADS fanbase wants Valko to be released at some point. Let's try to remain positive where we can, engage in positive fandom, and do our best to make our voices heard by Infold.
Thanks to @shivasdarknight, @adehsroyal, and @alyxzenia for their contributions!
Good noon friends! I don't have much to report as of right now, but here are a couple updates:
As of 11:00 AM CDT:
LADS following count: Instagram 917k, X 656.6k, TikTok 891k, YouTube 325k
Petitions: 225.8k and 92.2k
Valko is getting SO much love at AX2026! Here's a video posted to X.
CN fans are getting some interesting responses to their messages to Infold. They aren't copy-and-paste anymore—they're responding with emojis? Post here.
A lot of people on X seem to be having similar dreams about Valko coming back. It's obvious not concrete evidence or anything, but a woman's intuition is no joke!
Players have noticed the lily of the valley painting in the desk decorating. It's been there since the beginning. FYI—Valko's flower is the lily of the valley.
We're still trending on X! 6 days straight! And we've reached over 2.5 million posts.
It's easier to track the popularity on X, but there are 10k posts on Instagram under #bringvalko back, and #bringbackvalko is a trending search on TikTok.
Here's a list of all the outlets that have reported on the protest: GosuGamers, Polygon, IGN, Aftermath.site, Kotaku, TheGamer, GameSpot, Pocket Gamer.biz, Dexerto. Here's the post with the article links.
Important!
DO NOT interact with CN players on RedNote or Weibo. They are trying to use sinophobia as a new tactic. If you post on either site, do so respectfully and kindly. Do not respond to hateful comments.
DO NOT post on RedNote or Weibo on July 7th. Please ensure that you're paying attention to the time zone difference. July 7th is a historically important day in China. In 1937, it marks the date that Chinese troops clashed outside Beijing, triggering the Second Sino-Japanese War and the full-scale Japanese invasion of China.
If you are not currently boycotting, remember that July 9th is Blackout Day. If nothing else, DO NOT LOG IN on July 9th.
CN players' protest is different than ours. They need to raise the rating in their app stores, and we need to continue to lower ours. Both sides need to emphasize that LADS helps international players appreciate Chinese culture.
Remember!
DO NOT LOG IN! We're still trying to affect their DAU metric.
Don't expect a statement from Infold until Wednesday. With Anime Expo this weekend, and a historical day in China on the 7th, it's unlikely they will say anything about the situation until then.
Keep fighting! Antis worked for seven days to get Valko's release cancelled. We have to continue to make noise in order to be louder than them. Many companies will wait out protests for a few days to see if they fizzle out.
Don't lose hope! We're making a HUGE impact!
Please remember that this boycott is not just about Valko. The CN fans deserve an apology for the 731 incident, global fans deserve recognition, we need more MC customization options for darker skin tones—there are a lot of issues involved.
Take care of yourselves. Take breaks, eat, drink water, and get plenty of rest. We're in this together <3
Resources ↓
Notes Do NOT log into the game. We need to affect their DAU metric (daily active users) Unfollow on social media (Instagram, X, TikTok, etc.
I thought of another Rafayel and Valko foil. Rafayel hid his lemurian form and nature for months, outside of one scene when he fought that one monster, we never saw him in anything other than his human form, we only saw his tail and nonhuman form in his third myth, with Valko, his nonhuman nature is known from the start, he’s introduced in his wolf form, wolf ears and tail out during other conversations. Idk just something I noticed.
This… Anonnie!! Are you the same as that Anon with the cruise connection? 🧐
You‘re genius!
You‘re so right! I didn’t even think of this. But yes. We only get to know about Rafayel’s„Inhuman nature“ after a while. Whereas Infold showing us right into our faces that Valko is not a human either.
