Overview
- Papergames and publisher Infold canceled Valko on June 30, saying the character’s launch and any further development would be permanently halted.
- The developer pledged to ship non-Valko Version 6.0 features as planned and to compensate players with free outfits, photo poses, a Nighthush Box and one Deepspace Wish per day for 30 days.
- Infold published a near-term roadmap that schedules Rafayel content in July, a Caleb main story update in September, and a Sylus main story update in November to prioritize existing characters.
- The decision followed a concentrated wave of criticism from mainly Chinese players on platforms such as Weibo complaining Valko’s design and a new character would divert writing and premium resources; reports say the game's Chinese accounts lost large numbers of followers and unverified reports described protests and packages left at company offices.
- The move has split the global community: international fans have launched large petitions and online campaigns to reinstate Valko while Infold removed the character from Anime Expo plans and began unlisting related promotional assets.