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Good morning! Few things before we get into this report.
I have some good news for you all! Some verified, some noteworthy speculation.
I'm doing my absolute best to bring you trustworthy information, but social media is a war zone right now. Several users that I trusted are now on opposite sides, so I'm having to trust my gut and my common sense on a lot of this.
I've always aimed to be completely transparent with you all. So, I have redownloaded LADS. WAIT before you grab your pitchforks and torches. I have two reasons for this.
— I don't know who I can trust for information anymore. I want to give you as much firsthand info as I possibly can. This is simply another way for me to do that.
— I paid a good bit of money for my yearly pass, and I've already missed out on a month of rewards. I need those for Valko. I will be logging in once a week to claim them, and I'll also check for patch notes. I'll attach a screenshot of my screen time at the bottom of my reports (starting tomorrow) to hold myself accountable.
DO NOT LOG IN. DO NOT SPEND. DO NOT PULL. The metrics matter now more than ever. Cards will always rerun.
Don't stop posting. Hashtags: #NoValkoNoMoney #BringValkoBack #BringBackValko #ValkoIsLoved #ValkoIs6th #Valko
Email! Here is my post with the updated email template. If you choose to write your own, here are the main points:
— Demand Valko be reinstated as the 6th LI
— Demand communication from Infold
— Emphasize you will stop all spending until these demands are met
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
DO NOT CONTACT federal/government agencies, national news networks, or foreign media.
DO NOT TRUST UNVERIFIED INFORMATION. Rumors and speculation are not going to help us at this point. I will still give you my thoughts and educated guesses, but take everything without a source with a grain of salt. No proof, no truth.
The HA texts and Valko's WU story are still in the game after the update. They are also completely unchanged. Below I've attached a screen recording from this morning. Here you can find the screen recording from July 8th, if you like to compare the two.
Below are screenshots of the current notices in the game. Nothing noteworthy here.
ALLEGEDLY a dataminer on Instagram was able to see Valko's files. Here is the link to the full post. I'll include the details here.
— Valko's files are labeled XL, most likely referring to Xiaolang ("little wolf"), which is a nickname given to him by the development team.
— Every known Valko file is still present in the game.
— Several files were changed and added.
— The findings by this user were:
± 580 new XL-labeled references in one package
± 41 added and 16 removed in another package (mostly sound/effect)
± 247 added and 4 removed in a third package (mostly daily interaction and related labels)
± The XL card-reference package was changed internally, but all 19 known references are still present.
± Total: 886 newly visible references and 20 removed readable labels
— According to the user, references are "more like entries in a catalog than content itself." Basically, everything they added isn't necessarily "complete, playable or newly created." However, it does mean that "the game's internal configuration now points to more XL-related material than the previous saved version did."
— I know the removal part looks scary. According to the user, "the removed XL labels were small sound/effect references, such as piano and erhu home-music effects, plus a handful of cutscene sound/effect labels. No known XL model reference, XL card reference, XL animated-card family, or XL story-highlight family was removed."
— If more Valko content is being added, it's safe to assume that Infold is not moving forward with his cancellation.
— Take this with a grain of salt. I cannot verify any of this information, as I am not at all familiar with game files or datamining, but I did think it was worth mentioning. This user has posted similar things in the past, and they offer good explanations.
Here are some general social media updates:
There is currently a post circulating on Weibo stating that LADS customer service reps are telling players that Valko will not return. This is false. I've included the translated texts from the post below.
Player: I hope little wolf can come back.
CS: We are very sorry for the bad experience. We will pass on your complaints to the production team.
CS: We will definitely help you report any dissatisfaction with the game.
CS: [crying emoji]
Player: We really need to hurry up.
Player: The second and third images are a compilation of rumor-mongering accounts by overseas players
Player: The first picture shows the siege I faced while fighting against organized crime in the community
Player: Allowing those who spread rumors to cause trouble will not end well.
Player: The only arguments ordinary players can refute are logic and their own spending habits. It's too difficult.
The rest of the texts from the player explain that Valko fans are working to clear Valko's name in the media.
There is currently a rumor circulating that there will be a multi-banner in August. I cannot directly disprove this, but the post linked below offers a good starting point.
If Caleb's card runs until the 15th, that leaves a 16 day gap before the start of Zayne's birthday event (September 1st). If they still plan on releasing Rafayel's fourth myth in September, they will need those two weeks for that banner. On their first run, myth banners always last two weeks.
I know we don't want the fourth myth to drop right now, but I don't think LADS wants to go back on another promise. They've already delayed it once—I don't think they'll do it again.
Regardless, I still think this is better than trying to run a multi-banner without Valko. As a myth collector, I'm bummed. As a Valko fan, it gives me hope.
LADS following:
— Instagram: 905k
— X: 650.8k
— YouTube: 323k
— TikTok: 877.3k
Petitions:
— iPetitions: 251,500+
— Change.org: 98,300+
— JP Change.org: 8,500+
— Total: 358,400+ signatures
Please note that we will likely see a bump in revenue over the next few days. People WILL spend on the new Caleb banner. However, I don't think it's cause for concern. Here's why:
"This is Sensor Tower data on Caleb's banners and their revenue, so you can compare it against what's coming. I'm also including a short guide on how to read it.
1) If the new banner drops noticeably MORE than 28% compared to a comparable banner — that's the boycott effect. The 28% is the baseline year-over-year drop, measured between Caleb's two birthday banners (both 8 days, exactly one year apart, both before the cancellation): $723,932 per day → $519,612 per day.
2) If it drops by roughly the same amount — it's just the ordinary year-over-year decline continuing.
3) The shape of the curve is identical across all four: a peak on day one, then a sharp fall-off. Day two is usually 35–40% below day one. So the picture will already be visible from the first two or three days, without waiting for the event to end.
4) The global share grows WITHIN a banner: 34–44% on day one, rising to 62–68% by the end. China front-loads its spending, overseas catches up later."
LADS ranking on CN iOS App Store. It rose with the drop of the card, but is already on its way back down.
For reference, here was the game's ranking during the Kitten Included banner.
That's all I have for you right now! Like I said in the beginning of this report, I'll be attaching my screen time for LADS starting tomorrow, that way I can give you the previous day's info. Maybe it's entirely unnecessary, but I don't want to give you any reason to doubt my intentions.
As always, take care of yourselves and be wary of rumors and misinformation. Sending my love <3
