Gacha game devs respond after posting poisonous cocktail recipes online

Chinese romance game Love and Deepspace has sparked backlash after sharing fictional cocktail recipes featuring real plants that can be poisonous if consumed.

The official Love and Deepspace account posted the drinks on September 29 as part of its current in-game event, giving fans ingredient lists for cocktails themed around different characters.

But the post quickly became flooded with comments because two of the drinks use potentially dangerous flowers as garnishes.

One combines sweet peach juice and gelatin sheets with Flame Lily, while another mixes crimson pomegranate juice and cinnamon with Datura. Both plants exist outside of the game and can be toxic to humans, and consuming either one could be fatal.

An X Community Note was subsequently attached to the post warning users about the ingredients.

Love and Deepspace devs warn fans not to make fictional cocktails

Although the recipes were part of promotion for the game, many fans took issue with them being presented publicly as ingredient lists, leading to criticism over the possibility that a fan unfamiliar with the flowers could try to recreate one.

“Never did I think I’d see the day one of the largest Gacha game companies and games would provide players legitimate instructions on how to seriously, and fatally injure yourself,” said one reply.

“Delete this. This is literal poison. Nobody make this,” added another, while a third said: “Most important community note in the gacha community honestly.”

Love and Deepspace later added its own clarification, telling players that the drinks weren’t intended to be made in real life.

“Safety Notice: All drinks shown are fictional and for in-game purposes only,” the account said in a follow-up. “Do not attempt to recreate or consume them in reality.”

Back in June, Love and Deepspace scrapped a new love interest after fans protested by mailing cow poo to the devs, although many others criticized the decision.