Love and Deepspace: censorship issues with NSFW content
Intelligence Summary
- See how Love and Deepspace is handling censorship in China with a creative stick-figure workaround for the Lingering Lust event.
Love and Deepspace: censorship issues with NSFW content and creative solutions
Love and Deepspace, a mobile gacha game developed and published by Papergames, has run into unusual censorship issues in China during the promotional campaign for its latest in-game event, "Lingering Lust." The problems stem from the country’s strict laws around NSFW content. After the event trailer was censored twice, Papergames came up with a creative workaround: stick figures.
Trailer censorship
In early April 2026, trailers and teasers for the bathtub-centered "Lingering Lust" event began rolling out. The event featured the female player character rolling around in the water with romantic characters. However, the main trailer was fully censored in China. Papergames responded by releasing two censored versions of the trailer, covering parts of the footage with steam from the bath. The first censored version apparently still wasn’t tame enough, leading to a second version with even more steam added, making the result almost comical.
Using stick figures
Eventually, even the third version of the trailer was still considered too suggestive. For this situation, Papergames decided to replace the traditional romantic characters with stick figures in its trailers. It was a surprising twist, but one that Chinese social media also deemed inappropriate. The stick-figure trailers were then removed, and a text-only version on a black background with audio from the trailers appeared instead — an alternative approach that somehow feels even more provocative than the original visuals.
Timeline
April 30, 2026: The "Lingering Lust" event launched with ad adjustments due to censorship.
April 2026: Papergames decided to use stick figures for trailers after multiple versions were censored.
April 2026: The main trailer was wiped from social media due to censorship issues.
Effects of censorship on the game
It remains unclear whether the in-game event content itself was also censored in China. Papergames has previously had to adjust in-game content for the Chinese market, which raises the possibility that "Lingering Lust" may have been altered as well. The censorship issues highlight a complex tension between creative expression and legal restrictions, especially in markets with strict guidelines.
Future implications for Papergames
Papergames’ approach to working around censorship could have both positive and negative effects on its reputation. While some players may praise the creativity of the stick-figure solution, others may see the stripped-down method as undermining the original artistic vision. How Papergames balances that will be crucial for its image and the performance of its games across different markets.
