Love and Deepspace 'bring back Valko' petition surpasses 229k signatures

• The petition argues Valko was originally intended to fill the role.
• Supporters say Valko is important to the game's story and character relationships.
• The petition is aiming to reach 250,000 signatures.

A fan petition has called on Infold Games and Paper Games to restore Valko as a love interest in Love and Deepspace following the character's removal from the game amid controversy in China.

Fans in China had complained about the character's introduction over a number of issues, including links to the number '731', which has links to the real-world Imperial Japanese Army Unit 731 that conducted human experiments during the Second World War.

The backlash surrounding Valko spread through the community and even saw criticism from state-owned media. Valko was swiftly removed and the studio later confirmed it would not introduce any additional love interests in future content plans and would instead focus on expanding the stories of the five existing romance options.

Growing support

The new petition, however, argues that the character should return "as was originally intended", with global fans believing Valko is an important part of the game's story, world and emotional appeal. At the time of writing, the campaign had gathered 229,242 signatures.

Fans insisted that removing or leaving out a character originally planned for that role changes the experience for the wider community.

They also argued that many players were drawn to Love and Deepspace because of its focus on meaningful character relationships, memorable storytelling and the opportunity to form connections with its cast. 

According to the petition, Valko represents that vision and his return would respect both the original creative direction and the expectations of players.

“We ask Infold and PaperGames to listen to the global fanbase and restore Valko as a love interest," read the petition page. 

“Please honour what was intended and give players the full experience they were hoping for. The community wants Valko back, and we believe Love and Deepspace will be stronger for it."