Aita Era's Apology Backfires: Official Group Admin Dumps ML Players, Calls Remarks 'Controversial' Instead of Wrong — Players Cry 'Scam Gacha'

A gacha game that literally marketed itself as "date the girls" just released an apology that never admits the offending remarks were actually wrong — is this an apology, or gaslighting?

The story is straightforward enough. Aita Era (艾塔纪元) ran ads promoting the fantasy of "dating girls," specifically targeting the ML (Master Love) player base — gacha fans who want the in-game waifus to be romantically devoted to the player character. But then the official promotional channels started sharing yuri (girl-on-girl) fan art, and the official QQ group admin went full mask-off, openly distancing the game from its ML-oriented audience. The sheer audacity left players speechless.

When the backlash hit, the devs released an apology — except it managed to pour fuel on the fire instead. The statement characterized the admin's comments as merely "controversial" and "arrogant," and the "punishment" was limited to a "stern talking-to" (严厉批评和教育). Most critically: at no point did the statement say the admin's remarks were actually wrong.

One highly-upvoted reply nailed it: "The apology only calls the admin's remarks 'controversial' and 'arrogant,' and the 'discipline' is just a talking-to. They never once said the remarks were wrong." Another player doubled down: "That's right — the official stance is deliberately noncommittal."

The comment section was practically unanimous in slapping Aita Era with the "缅北二游" (Myanmar scam gacha) label — a community term for games that bait players with romantic advertising, then pull a 180 once you're in. One commenter put it bluntly: "Advertised dating, admin dumps ML players, characters won't even revolve around you — yeah, that's a scam gacha." Another went nuclear: "I respect all types of games, but scam games deserve to die."

Some players zoomed out to the industry level, noting "small studios with small games always end up clowned in their official groups — they never learn. Probably another day-one flop." Others perfectly predicted the next chapter of this drama: "When do we start hearing 'it's all the ML players' fault, they ruined this game'? I can already see the ending." And the admin himself got roasted: "The admin's really committed to the roleplay, is that considered being good at your job?"

The ads promised dates with cute girls. The actual operation cut ties with the very audience those ads attracted. You really can't make this up. The half-hearted apology only confirmed what players already suspected: the devs aren't sorry about the stance — just that the admin said the quiet part out loud. This saga is far from over.