About Infold and the Valko Boycott
As I see it, Infold/PaperGames has 2 options right now:
Return Valko to the game in full, apologize and openly address everything that has happened in the last 3-4 weeks, give us a proper road map and rewards to make up for everything as much as they can.
Ignore everything that's happened in the last 3-4 weeks, double down on cancelling Valko, give a half baked apology and then drop Rafs 4th myth.
Option 1 is (in my opinion) the only way the game survives. Yes, the antis will be pissed, but near as I can tell there's almost nothing that would actually make them happy.
What there will be is an outpouring of love worldwide for Valko and relief from the actual fans who care about this game and its longevity. The CN authorities are also aware of and likely watching to some capacity, so i don't think we will see the same violence as we did when Valko was first announced. If there is than at least this time we are all watching for it.
Infold will still have to work to build back player trust, and prove that they are working to do better going forward with regular and clear communication. I'm talking dates and as much detail as they can give us without spoiling too much. (i.e. Valko will be in game on X date, Rafs myth announcement on X date, next multi teaser on X date with X theme)
The boycott is also about so much more than just Valko being returned to the game and I think a lot of people are hoping/expecting the wider issues (lighting for POC, lack of renewable resources, new game modes, etc.) to be addressed.
The recovery will likely be slow no mater what, and the game will never be the same again for many players, but it will recover.
Option 2 kills the game. Full stop. And I think Infold knows this. The last day or so has established for us that not only is the ProValko side where the money is, but a portion of the antis are also (allegedly) children, and should not be playing the game in the first place.
Caving into harrassment and bullying will torpedo PaperGames reputation into the ground so hard I don't think it would ever recover, and would likely effect (and already has effected) their other projects like Infinity Nikki.
I've also seen many on the AntiValko side already turning on each other (CalebMains specifically). Its a very Leopards Eating Faces situation with them.
Doubling down on cancelling Valko will not only loose anyone left hoping Infold will fix this mess, but the game itself by removing a key aspect of the main story. LaDs is bleeding players and money right now, and I don't think they want to announce EOS so soon but thats what will happen if they go with this route.
Announcing Rafs 4th myth right now is also a problem. If they do so in this moment, without clear communication of if/when Valko is restored, his PV is going to be flooded by the Valko boycott which will 'ruin' it for Raf mains who may or may not be ProValko, and taint the player experience, turning more players against one another.
Rafayel deserves to have his new myth released without strife, just as ProValko players deserve to be heard and addressed asap.
ProValko players are already generally getting shit for "ruining" the game already from Antis (bc advocating for your rights as a player and trying to have a successful boycott is apparently ruining things, and not Infold actively destroying player trust)
Right now we are trapped in a sort of limbo, no matter what side of this you are on. Infold's silence is deafening, and incredibly frustrating. However, no matter how long Infold takes to talk to us, the writing is on the wall and they clearly know it. Whatever announcement they put out next will likely determine whether or not the game survives, and I am sure that they are terrified.
We do not know what the future holds, but in this moments I think the best we can do is to keep moving forward.
Don't log in. Don't spend money. Don't interact with those who would spread hatred. Spread love and kindness to others instead.
This community has done so much good in spite of all the bad. In a world full of darkness we have brought the light.
