Mari 🍐🍎🐺

[Stella Rose 🫧 @loveandstella]

This post is my analysis dump of a lot of claims being thrown around right now and what evidence there is to show PPG intends to bring Valko back or not. Very long, so be warned.

Right now the biggest wild card is PPG's own reputation when it comes to PR crises. This is honestly their Achilles heel and years of bad PR response are now coming back to bite them. If they were known as a trusted developer I don't think there would be nearly this much chaos and speculation during their silence.

Their modus operandi seems to be: explosive change-> stonewall silence & doubling down -> soft capitulation later

So let's look at our examples:

Infinity Nikki
-1.5 launch w retconned opening + aggressive monetization + gamebreaking bugs
-players respond by organizing a boycott and discover the word "boycott" has been heavily blocked on SM
-after 20 days of silence, PPG releases a statement of apology + compensation
-the retcon is never reversed, although quality of game improved

Shaw (MLQC/Love Producer)
-Shaw was suddenly announced as the 5th LI and immediately met with extreme backlash
-PPG nuke his launch and stonewall his supporters, allegedly helping other LI mains to suppress and scatter them
-6 months later Shaw is added as a Special Encounter

Similarities and differences
-Valko is released to extreme backlash. After Shaw, I think PPG expected this. Proof is in the 27.6 statement reaffirming Valko's launch instead of knee-jerk cancelling the way they did with Shaw.
-A coordinated smear campaign is launched with no room to respond; to stop the extreme escalation they nuke Valko's launch

-Going by their playbook from MLQC + IN we should have seen 2 things: immediate take down of all content related to Valko + blacklisting of key terms related to him. We got neither. Even now no terms related to Valko are blacklisted on any of PPG's moderated platforms. The discord server was archived but not deleted, and Valko supporters are freely allowed to discuss in the main server. Reddit has not rejected Valko content, they merely delete comments with hashtags as a matter of course. Other removed comments on other platforms can reasonably be assumed to be taken down from mass reporting or for incitement to escalation

Note: one might argue they are not deleting in order to avoid backlash/keep people pacified, but what would be the reason? The bubble will have to be popped eventually and the backlash would happen regardless. We have seen that the energy and intensity of pro-Valko has not waned that much, due to the collaboration between global and CN (which Shaw did not have btw). By this logic PPG is allowing themself to be harassed for an indeterminate amount of time rather than making a firm move and resolving the issue right away

-We know that they went radio silent after July 1st except for two maintenance posts. We do not know why. There is only speculation. If we follow the playbook set by IN, we should have seen a statement issued after the prolonged silence to clarify the changes in schedule, especially about Rafayel's myth that was promised to release in July. Was this a deliberate non-apology? Frankly, they are not that dumb. They have already angered a subset of players and would likely want to keep good relations with loyal players + pave the way for a successful myth launch.

Now that I've laid out what we know, I will try to answer some speculations and questions.

PPG is icing us out so it will blow over. They don't intend to bring Valko back.
This is possible given their track record. Again, their Achilles heel. However

-according to the 28.6 sealed statement on CN social media, they were aware of the smear campaign and intended to take legal measures to address it. Tbh I am not knowledgeable about Chinese law. I do not know what records are made public when it comes to filing. But we do know it is common for corporations to remain silent about the relevant subject before proceedings. This leaves them in a catch-22. They cannot say anything about Valko. But the players are demanding clarification about Valko. They could speak about something else, but given how their words have been misconstrued, that could backfire. And it also risks alienating Valko supporters who are left to conclude that PPG has moved on. If they respond to no one, there is no conclusion, so it leaves a path open

-silence is an advantage to them. In a highly volatile situation where they are being maliciously targeted, staying silent keeps them in a cloak of secrecy that makes it difficult to anticipate + strike at. If they communicated clearly, that information would be used against them and possibly twisted to fit a certain narrative

If they don't intend to communicate, why release a banner BAU?
PPG is a business and LaDS is their product. Not everyone is boycotting, and they risk also alienating loyal players still willing to stay in the game by either shutting off service or providing no new content. This is a form of protection of their assets.

Why isn't PPG doing anything to help Valko?
They are.

-The schedule was completely overhauled, even though we saw with the multi that they can rely totally on in-game notices to push banners. Whether or not they were under gag order, we saw how the July 1st regular post was the last advertisement outside of banner notices that they have done since.

-Again, nothing about Valko has been banned from any of their social media. Comments are left on for announcement posts.

-The Junior moderator who mass deleted Valko posts on the Weibo super topic was immediately removed and Junior moderation was suspended. Subsequently, the deleted posts were restored

-I can't really speak for Weibo or other CN socials, but from what I can see trending topics can be purchased but it is not always clear who is purchasing the topic. There have also been battles going on between topics, with trending being either pushed or suppressed for various reasons. If PPG is suppressing topics, they are not strictly about Valko (again, nothing related to him has been muted/blacklisted), but things that would likely cause unnecessary escalation that will harm their strategy/operations

Why isn't PPG doing anything about CDG/YTM?
This one is trickier, but I think we can look at a few key points.

-It seems that extreme fanaticism/ idol culture is prevalent in Chinese entertainment, so I don't think they really would do a lot against them. They might target specific bad actors (like the one channel that was issued an official notice on 02.8) but overall seem to treat them like noise, as evidenced in their 27.6 statement reaffirming Valko's release

-the anti-Valko AI and harassment have unfortunately not been taken down yet because it would show favoritism from PPG for Valko, which can be used against them at this stage. Neutrality is a form of silence and they need to keep their advantage by not getting too involved. Any good signs for Valko are left to pure speculation and cannot be proven either way. Direct action from them is verifiable, so needs to be avoided

a few more points for why PPG isn't on CDG side right now:

-Caleb's jersey does not have a number. I don't believe the rectification would include "no numbers allowed" so this was clearly their own decision. They could have used 02, but we all know his jersey is #5, so it may have angered Caleb fans more than no number at all (which can be explained away). Why can't they use 5? Because it can be easily used as an attack on Valko supporters to "prove" PPG gave a "signal" that there are only 5 LIs. In this case, PPG is likely protecting pro-Valko from additional harassment

-9m9 is still at large, which seems like inaction at first, but is likely tactical. At this stage in the battle, a known enemy is more useful than an unknown enemy. Plus, it's known she has a contact on the inside feeding her updates. It would be advantageous to allow her to continue causing trouble (for evidence gathering) and feeding her wrong info. We have actually seen this happen. Twice now Rafayel has trended high on Weibo with no real cause, and on 08.7, there was a push for Valko before the fakeout of ver6.0 on 09.7.

Added note: PPG is at fault for fostering the environment for CDG to run rampant, and I'm sure they're regretting it now. They are also responsible for playing too fast and loose with shock marketing tactics and riding on (initial) negative press for exposure with Valko's launch. I'm sure they're really regretting that now.

What about the suspicious way everything seems to blow up whenever we get aggressive/ hit PPG?
-It's an open secret now that this campaign, while fronted by CDG/minors was not orchestrated or funded by them. This is corporate warfare. We're being used by both sides.

-Some have suggested it's PPG's way of breaking the fandom and forcing ppl to leave, but tbh the numbers don't show that. We still have very high comment engagement on their posts. On twitter we have maintained a very consistent 20k+ comment ratio, with only a 2k drop between Caleb announcement and the most recent maintenance post (24k vs 22k). Weibo still hits 100k+, though how much is authentic is questionable. And while we are divided now in our approach, our goal is completely the same and we will all harrass PPG's socials regardless

-You have to ask yourself who benefits the most from the blow ups? Who is getting hit the hardest? Certainly PPG's reputation keeps taking hits from all sides. Do they benefit? None of the blow ups have actually reduced the pressure on them. Valkotwt was able to trend two positionally opposed tags within 48 hours (one anti-PPG, one pro-Valko) even after the banner announcement shake-up on 03.8. So if we look at who benefits, its anyone against Valko's release and against PPG's success in this crisis. Speculate as you will.

The most important factor for why Valko MUST return
The boycott is very important and we should of course make our grievances known, but I think money is not the main driver for PPG rereleasing Valko. You see, Valko has something that Shaw did not, that Infinity Nikki did not. Love and Deepspace, and Valko by extension, are a National Cultural Export. And global has made it very, very clear that we want that export product. It is in PPG's best interest, both as a recipient of government subsidies, and as a representative for China abroad, to release Valko. We shouldn't use their status to bludgeon them, but as a free ticket of promise. We know they have to. They know they have to. The only question is when. And yeah, we're all impatient to get this over with (they are too) but we don't know exactly what's happening behind the scenes and we don't know when things will be ready.

We've done a lot to lay out the red carpet to help PPG return Valko but tbh? we don't have to. They have a whole marketing team and money they can burn on advertisement. They can take care of paving the way on their own.

Note: I'm sure I missed some points but did my best. This is, again, my personal speculation and analysis. I authorize reposting this to other sites with or without credit.

#BringValkoBack #BringBackValko #AoYin #Valko

[Min 🌼 @min_artelier]

Choose love, even in a world full of hate. #WeloveValko #Valkoisloved #BringbackValko #Loveanddeepspace

[саспишес рашн гёрл 🐦‍⬛🐺❄️ | #BRINGVALKOBACK @RenoireAlice]

Со всеми этими истериками и срачами между собой, мы начали забывать о важном

✨✨✨TEETH✨✨✨

#ValkoIsLoved #全世界都爱敖尹 #ValkoIs6thLi

[Aixe_aizy • @luvalaixe_]

Vallie is overwhelmed from too much choco consumption🐾🍫
#BringValkoBack #PPGSpeakUp
#NoValkoNoMoney
#全世界都爱敖尹

[aochi 🔜 animangaki F31 @aochiorta]

silly woof

[FinaleSpica2049🐺 @FinaleSpica2049]

Have you seen my God？

#Valko #敖尹
#Valkoisloved
#NoValkoNoInfold
#NoValkoNoMoney
#BringValkoBack
#全世界都爱敖尹

[陈桂铃 @Cyberpsycho__]

如果我们必须要变成像CDGs那种群体才可以解决这个问题的话,那其实这个问题就已经失去了被解决的价值。

[Хао BRING VALKO BACK @xaoxaoli]

у меня конкретно так кипит с того, что китай получает свои полноценные посты о итогах конкурса а у нас эти клоуны испугались и удаляли два раза пост и втихаря закинули итоги в ответы. сука ну клоунище бляьь. только драконять больше. хз чего добиваются

#PapergamesRuinsCNgaming

[саспишес рашн гёрл 🐦‍⬛🐺❄️ | #BRINGVALKOBACK @RenoireAlice]

Я не могу ассоциировать себя с МС, потому что она вечно ругает Сайлуса за то, что он кусается, и Валко наверняка за это ругает, как так можно вообще.

Моя личная позиция по данному вопросу проста: BITE HERE
(с кайфом бы кусала в ответ. обоих.)

#全世界都爱敖尹 #ValkoIs6thLi

[someone @chengheng1994]

全世界都爱敖尹这个标签简直太好了，好的不能再好了。想到反对派们串子们看到这个标签要气的捏鼻子，嘴里忿忿地说道：我才不爱谁爱了。就感觉特别好玩，ദ്ദി 那些反串的说不定还要用这个标签发推特哈哈哈，中文和英文标签对我们来说是不一样的感觉。#全世界都爱敖尹
#BringValkoBack
#ValkoIs6th

[Mari 🍐🍎🐺 @fi_fiona_]

@MiyawakiAki стараются для нас как могут 🥺🤭

[gwern @Yoboroten]

In light of recent events

Bro, @Love_Deepspace

#ValkoIsLoved #全世界都爱敖尹 #ValkoIs6thLI

[мара | 🍎BRING VALKO BACK🍎 @hygge1b]

вот, что мы получаем на призывы не строить теории заговоров и не разжигать войну внутри коммьюнити. у меня нет слов. это НЕ нормально.

а я вот считаю, что все, кто специально указывает на другие аккаунты и обвиняет других — АНТИ. идите нахуй, с такими сестрами и врагов не надо.

#PapergamesRuinsCNGaming

[花花花 @hua1071]

上班是坏文明😠
#恋与深空 #敖尹 #LoveAndDeepspace #Valko #BringValkoBack

[REI @rei0jam_p]

ちゃんと絵を描く時間が取れないので、ちっちゃいろがくん置いときますね
こういうアンブレラマーカー作りたい🐺
#ValkoIsLoved #valko #ロウガ

[taschi 𐙚 @taschibunny]

100k+ comments to not even 2k likes lmao the ratio is so crazy, our cn sisters are not letting them get away that easy 🤍

#BringValkoBack #全世界都爱敖尹

[♡☽ baba yaga wants valko back ☾♡ @dahngrest]

Your (estimated) revenue for August 4th is here! Qimai still plateaus while Global continues to drop. Of the Top 15 worst revenue days, this boycott is 14 of those days. We continue to hold strong!

GIVE VALKO GET MONEY.

#全世界都爱敖尹 #ValkoIsValuable #BringValkoBack

[.Nyaomi. @grimmoireroze]

I would also like to point out the very poorly edited thumbnail. Caleb’s undertones are sandy-neutral, adding some intensity to the focal point and adjusting temperature would have made it higher quality.

The colors for these usually aren’t as muddy nor dull. The overall lighting quality of the card is lacking compared to other Caleb cards:/

[妖夫人Ms Yao🦊🐾 @Yaofuren88888]

我的少爷好帅🚬

🙊

[YUNO 🍎🍏 @d0llysg0re]

why tf are y'all fighting each other about the hashtags? valko IS loved and wanted worldwide and ppg IS ruining the reputation for CN games

they DO NOT contradict each other

can we just keep protesting?? we have ENOUGH drama already can y'all ego fight after Valko returns?