Love and Deepspace releases information on the newly announced Caleb 5-Star Memory event after a month-long silence, while the LADS community upholds an ongoing boycott.
Love and Deepspace Announces New Caleb Wish Event
Infold Releases Summer Surge Details
Love and Deepspace suddenly revealed on August 3rd an official trailer for the upcoming Limited 5-Star Memory [Caleb: Summer Surge] after not actively posting anything in the past month. The basketball-themed event runs from 05:00 on August 5 to 04:59 on August 14 (server time). As players wish, they may obtain the following milestone rewards:
⚫︎ Universal Hat [Rule Reversal]
⚫︎ General Photo Pose [Lingering Moment]
⚫︎ 20x Deepspace Wish: Limited tickets
⚫︎ Caleb's Exclusive Memory-Themed Outfit [Leap & Dunk]
The studio confirmed details on the banner, stating that after the event ends, this Limited 5-Star Memory will not be obtainable through other means and will not join the Wish Pool: Xspace Echo. The cumulative milestone rewards are also exclusive to the event and will only be available to claim while the banner is live.
Many Players Still Want to #BringValkoBack
Notably, the community reception to Caleb's new banner announcement has been overwhelmingly negative, with comment sections filled with requests for accountability to "address the elephant in the room." Fans are currently using the hashtags #BringBackValko, #ValkoIsLoved, and #ValkoIsValuable to incite visibility on the current situation. Players have been boycotting the game by uninstalling it and putting a halt to their spending on LADS.
This movement has gained traction across various social media platforms such as X (Twitter), TikTok, Facebook, and Reddit, with community members pointing out that concerns regarding creative integrity, censorship, and treatment of the global player base will go unresolved if players don’t show that they’re serious about boycotting. Even high-profile personalities have joined the discourse, with artist bbno$ openly questioning Infold on the official thread regarding the character's status.
Infold’s submission to domestic complaints and their pledge to never introduce new love interests deeply alienated global and Japanese players who were eager for the new content. Particularly with the arrival of Valko, fans hoped that his release would address missing story elements. His cancellation created a large divide amongst the player base, leaving many players unhappy with the current management, ultimately setting a controversial precedent for how the studio handles community pressure.
The current uproar is a direct continuation of the backlash that began on June 30th, when Infold Games abruptly canceled the launch of the werewolf-hybrid love interest, Valko, just days before the Version 6.0 update. The character's initial reveal on June 22 had sparked severe backlash from the Chinese player base due to culturally controversial elements that CN players highlighted.
Drop in July 2026 Gacha Revenue
The announcement comes timely with news of a major financial fallout for the studio. According to the July 2026 Monthly Gacha Revenue Report compiled from SensorTower data, Love and Deepspace suffered a massive revenue decline following the rocky July update. From being consistently in the top 5, LADS got bumped down to 16th place. The sudden crash actually let HoYoVerse claim the top three global revenue spots simultaneously for the month, with Genshin at nearly $56 million in revenue.
Forum users and industry onlookers labeled the drop a "generational fumble," noting that the game lost more revenue in a single month than rival titles generated in total during the same period. Most of the player base connected the drop in revenue directly to the ongoing boycott, while others had credited it to the lack of new banners in July. Still, the drop itself is quite stark, suggesting that the community’s efforts may not be in vain.
At this time, Infold Games has not addressed the ongoing boycott or the revenue drop in July. Love and Deepspace is a sci-fi otome game by Infold Games and Papergames, available on iOS and Android platforms.
Sources:
New 5-Star Memory - Caleb Summer Surge Released!
Gacha Revenue Monthly Report - July 2026
Pls Unfold the Infold :(