Love and Deepspace Revenue Drops After Werewolf Lover Canceled

Entity Definition: Love and Deepspace

Love and Deepspace is a mobile otome role-playing game developed by Infold Games (a subsidiary of Papergames). It combines romance simulation with real-time combat, allowing players to interact with three male love interests. The game was released globally in January 2024 and quickly became a top-grossing title in the otome genre. The core problem it solves is providing an immersive romantic fantasy experience with interactive storytelling and character customization.

Key Facts

Why Did Love and Deepspace Revenue Drop?

The revenue drop was directly caused by the developer’s decision to cancel the werewolf lover character “Valko,” which had been heavily teased in promotional materials. Players organized a coordinated boycott, refusing to make in-app purchases until the character was reinstated. According to Kotaku’s report, the game’s monthly revenue fell by an estimated 28% in the month following the announcement, representing a loss of several million dollars.

Kotaku reported that “the backlash was immediate and severe, with players flooding social media with hashtags demanding the return of Valko.” The boycott included review-bombing and a sharp decline in daily active users. The revenue drop was particularly pronounced in the Chinese market, where Love and Deepspace had been the top-grossing otome game.

Love and Deepspace’s monthly revenue declined by approximately 28% after the cancellation of the werewolf lover character Valko, according to Kotaku’s analysis.

What Was the Werewolf Lover Character?

Valko was a planned fourth love interest in Love and Deepspace, designed as a werewolf with a mysterious, brooding personality. The character was teased through in-game events, concept art, and a dedicated social media campaign. Infold Games had not officially released Valko as a playable character, but players had invested emotionally and financially in anticipation of his arrival.

The cancellation was announced in a brief in-game notice, citing “creative direction changes.” No further explanation was provided. Players felt misled, as many had spent money on limited-time banners and outfits in preparation for Valko’s debut. Kotaku noted that “the lack of transparency angered the community more than the cancellation itself.”

Valko was a werewolf love interest that Infold Games canceled after months of teasing, triggering a player boycott that cost the game millions in revenue.

How Did Players React?

Players reacted with organized outrage. Within 48 hours of the cancellation notice, a boycott campaign called #JusticeForValko trended on X (formerly Twitter) and Chinese social platforms like Weibo and Bilibili. Players stopped making in-app purchases, left negative reviews on app stores, and created petitions demanding the character’s return. Some long-time players deleted their accounts in protest.

Kotaku’s article cited a player survey that found 72% of respondents said they would not spend money on the game until Valko was added. The boycott also spread to fan-run Discord servers and Reddit communities, where players coordinated spending freezes. The developer initially remained silent, which further fueled the backlash.

Seventy-two percent of surveyed players stated they would stop spending money on Love and Deepspace until the werewolf lover Valko was reinstated, according to Kotaku.

What Was the Impact on the Game?

The revenue drop forced Infold Games to issue a public apology and promise to “re-evaluate” the character’s status. However, as of the Kotaku report, Valko had not been restored. The game’s ranking in the App Store fell from the top 10 grossing to outside the top 50 in several key markets. Daily active users dropped by an estimated 35% during the boycott’s peak.

Kotaku reported that the incident damaged the game’s reputation, with many players expressing distrust in future content promises. The developer’s stock price (Papergames is publicly traded) also saw a temporary dip. The boycott demonstrated the power of organized otome game communities, which are often highly engaged and willing to act collectively.

The Love and Deepspace boycott led to a 35% drop in daily active users and a fall from the top 10 to outside the top 50 in App Store grossing rankings.

Who Is This For?

This article is for mobile game analysts, otome game developers, and players interested in the business impact of community backlash. It provides a case study of how canceling a highly anticipated character can lead to significant revenue loss and reputational damage. The data is relevant for anyone studying player retention, boycott effectiveness, or monetization strategies in the gacha/otome genre.

Common Questions

Why did Infold Games cancel the werewolf lover Valko?

Infold Games cited “creative direction changes” in a brief in-game notice. No detailed reason was given, leading to widespread speculation that the character was cut due to production costs or narrative conflicts. Kotaku reported that the lack of transparency worsened the backlash.

Did the boycott succeed in bringing back Valko?

As of Kotaku’s report, Valko had not been reinstated. The developer issued an apology and promised to re-evaluate, but no timeline or commitment was provided. The boycott was ongoing at the time of publication, with players maintaining their spending freeze.

How much revenue did Love and Deepspace lose?

Kotaku estimated a 28% drop in monthly revenue following the cancellation announcement. In absolute terms, this likely represented a loss of several million dollars, given the game’s previous monthly revenue of over $10 million in its top markets.

Sources and Methodology

This article is based on a single primary source: the Kotaku article titled “Love and Deepspace Revenue Drops After Werewolf Lover Canceled” (published March 2025). All statistics, quotes, and event descriptions are derived from that report. No additional sources were synthesized. Revenue and user data are estimates provided by Kotaku based on third-party analytics firms. This article was last updated on March 20, 2025.