The CN server of the immersive sci-fi RPG shooter Goddess of Victory: Nikke had recently teased an upcoming collaboration with Qing Yu Nian (Joy of Life), a Chinese novel by Mao Ni which earned a TV adaptation and MMO role-playing game coming soon on Steam.
However, the collaboration struck controversy as rumors began to spread stating Nikke CN is adding playable male characters into the game through this collaboration.
As Goddess of Victory: Nikke is a game dominated by an all-female cast of characters, the addition of a male character would be viewed as unorthodox, with the plot of the game centered on the concept of Nikke’s, who are the obedient set of women and children soldiers who fight battles for the restoration of humanity.
The plot of Qing Yu Nian (Joy of Life) revolves around the son of an imperial consort who survived a deadly revolt which resulted in a tyrant taking charge of the throne. This inspires the main protagonist to grow his own revolution hellbent on revenge against the tyrannical emperor.

As the plots of these franchise’s contrast differently from one and another, the collaboration notice features an image of a single male character, which leads players to assume that the male protagonist of the franchise will be added into the game.
Not long after, the official Nikke CN account on BiliBili posted a statement expressing their deepest apologies for any unwanted controversies stirred and have further explained that the collaboration will most definitely feature female characters and have only aimed to blend Chinese cultural elements into the games dystopian sci-fi setting.
Despite these statements, the collaboration failed to follow through, with the previous post having been deleted and the official CN account posting a final statement announcing the collaboration has been canceled. (Note the translation below is auto-translated and may contain inaccurate translations from its original language.)

The team apologizes sincerely once more, further stating they will improve on their choices on collaborations with other IP’s and carefully curate the content they wish to announce.
The CN server is predicted to release in May. Goddess of Victory: Nikke is currently available on iOS and Android and PC via Microsoft Store. For more information about the game, visit the official English website for a deeper dive.