Hey everyone. I’m writing this to talk about something serious— something I don’t usually do, since I try to keep this account more lighthearted and fun. But in this case, I feel like I have to.
This is about something that’s been weighing on me as a writer, and a decision that connects to a much larger question about how we understand creativity, ownership, and the relationship between creators and the people who engage with their work.
The situation with Love and Deepspace. I feel like it’s important for me to speak up about this here instead of only on alternative accounts, because this is where I do most of my writing. It feels meaningful to share it in the same space where my voice usually exists. I also want to be transparent that I have an alt where I discussed this as well, so if the wording feels familiar, that’s likely why.
To start this off, I’d like to say that I am personally a Rafayel main. He has always been my comfort character in the game—someone whose personality, humor, and emotional depth genuinely made me love the game from the beginning until the very present.
What I want to talk about is not just a single character or a single decision. It’s about something larger: what happens when a creative work begins to shift in response to external pressure, and what that means for both the creators and the audience who have already emotionally invested in the world.
As a writer, I’d like to say that when a character is introduced— especially in a story-driven game like Love and Deepspace— they are more than just pure “content.” They become anticipation, imagination, and emotional projection. People begin to build space for them in their experience of the story long before they arrive. That is what makes this kind of medium powerful, but also fragile.
And when that expectation is removed entirely, not through storytelling but through cancellation, it doesn’t just erase a character, but it also disrupts the emotional continuity that players were already building.
If you haven’t guessed or heard the news yet, the situation I’m talking about right now is the cancellation of Valko’s launch.
Now, if you’ve been following my account— or even if you look through it at a glance (it’s in the name)— you’ll know that I love smug bastard characters. Characters with humor layered over emotional depth. Confident, slightly rogue personalities. Teasing, irritating, charming idiots. All of that.
Rafayel, to me, falls into that category in his own way. So does Caleb, another love interest in the game. They’re not just “fun” characters, but they’re also the kind of personalities that feel alive because of how they balance playfulness with something more complicated underneath it.
And that’s exactly why Valko stood out to me.
From everything we were shown, he seemed like he would fit right into that same space. That same dynamic I naturally gravitate toward—the kind of character who doesn’t take things too seriously on the surface, but still carries something deeper underneath it all. The kind of character who teases, provokes, and lightens the mood, but still feels intentional in how he exists in the story.
So when he was announced, I didn’t just see another addition to the roster. I saw a character that aligned with the kind of storytelling and personality dynamics I’ve always been drawn to in this game.
And that’s why this cancellation doesn’t feel neutral to me.
Well— that’s the reason as a player. As a writer, it was very heartbreaking for me because of what the developers likely went through during this time. Think about it— you’ve put your heart and soul into a character, worked for years to plan and make them, and were so excited for that character to come to life. Only for it to be ripped to shreds because someone else is in charge. As a creative, that’s absolutely disheartening. I know how much a character means to the person who made it. It’s yours, and no one else should be able to tell you what to do with it. I cannot imagine bringing something to life only for it to be taken away because of entitled people with their own hateful opinions. The decision feels disrespectful to— not just the player— but also the developers who have worked ages. A company should never be more loyal to a couple toxic fans over the people who make it what it is.
Now, I’ve been hearing that the company may just be keeping a low profile for now for political reasons. I hope that is the case. But if it’s not, I’d like to say this much.
I won’t go too deep into the topic because I do not want to assume what is happening, since we do not clearly know what is going on behind the scenes. But I hope the correct decision is made. Nothing was Valko’s fault and he deserves a chance at meeting the MC. The story will not work without all six of the love interests, since that was the plan from the very beginning. It will not be love and deepspace without the original planning and content that was planned.
You must remember: the story once started with passion. Not greediness.
The story won’t work if you let the fans write it for you. Let your developers do what they’ve been doing and the awesome work they put in. Do what you know makes sense. If you are just trying to please certain regional fans, I’d advise against it. Such will ruin your story, as they are not the writers of your story.
I have taken action against this decision, along with many other members of the LADS community. I’ve written and sent emails to all the accounts I could find ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected]) with a lot of detail in them.
Here are the emails:
I also would encourage anyone reading to— if you haven’t already— sign the following petitions. Both, unlike what people may think, are completely free! You would just need to verify your email while signing. They may bring you to donation pages, but you are able to skip or just go to your email and verify to move on.
— Petition 1: iPetitions: https://www.ipetitions.com/p/bring-back-valko-as-a-love-interest-as-it-was-intended/
— Petition 2: Change.org: https://c.org/gBJ8QD5jTy
Bring Valko Back!
Fans urge Infold and PaperGames to restore Valko as a love interest in Love and Deepspace to honor the original vision for the game. Add you
Both of these are important, so please sign both. I would also encourage unfollowing the social media, emailing through the three emails I’ve provided, reach out for financial compensation of anything that you have bought and every penny spent for the event or Valko in general, as what the company did would now fall under false advertising, use of fraud in the inducement, aswell as bait and switch tactics. I will not yet ask you to leave one star reviews or delete the game entirely as, like I’ve said before, I don’t want to assume that this decision was made entirely on purpose when there are possibilities— due to the timing— of it being more political. If you’d like to, though, feel free. Leave any more ideas you may have. Please, please speak up about the matter as much as you can and sign the petitions. We need to do this for the developers. We cannot let the developers’ hard work go to waste. We will not stand and watch the character they’ve worked years on get removed. It is unfair. No one ever has the right to remove someone else’s creation. No one has the right to take that away from a creator. Ever.
Until further notice, we will need to get the company’s attention and join and unite together to bring Valko back.
Every person matters.
I believe in us, Hunters and Beyond!