'Take $2,800 and Quit': The Desperate Bribes Husbands are Offering to Save Their Marriages from AI Boyfriends

Digital infidelity has reached a tipping point, with virtual companions now posing a genuine threat to real-world unions. Some men are becoming so desperate to reclaim their partners' attention that they are resorting to direct financial negotiations. This unusual trend highlights a growing crisis in which human intimacy struggles to compete with the perfect, programmed devotion of artificial intelligence.

In China, men are desperately trying to pull their wives away from the viral dating sim 'Love and Deepspace', with one husband going so far as to offer a $2,800 (£2085.82) bribe to ensure his spouse quits for good.

Few recent titles have matched the massive impact of Love and Deepspace within the Otome dating genre. This free-to-play mobile experience blends romantic storytelling with action-RPG mechanics, allowing users to step into the shoes of a 'Deepspace Hunter' tailored to their own likeness.

The Allure of the 'Hunky Heartthrobs'

Beyond the core mechanics, the game's primary appeal lies in five charming protagonists available for romance: Xavier, Zayne, Rafayel, Caleb, and Sylus. Anyone active on gaming social media has likely encountered viral clips of influencers reacting in shock to the provocative romantic encounters that unlock as players build intimacy with these digital partners.

Modern technological breakthroughs have made the idealised protagonists of Love and Deepspace appear incredibly realistic. To achieve such natural movements for these romantic interests, the developers at Papergames utilised 3D motion capture technology, a process that reportedly takes 2 years per character.

To pull users deeper into the experience, the creators integrated lifelike romantic encounters and even added an AI-driven 'voice chatting' function, allowing direct dialogue with a chosen partner. Additionally, a 'companion mode' employs AR technology to project these figures into a player's actual surroundings, using tailored lighting to enhance the sense of realism.

Bridging the Gap Between Code and Reality

Certain fans are finding innovative ways to bridge the gap between these fictional suitors and reality. According to reports from kr-ASIA, some women—the game's primary audience—have used tools such as ChatGPT and the Chinese platform Duxiang to build AI personas of these men, enabling constant conversation with their favourite characters.

'If not for ChatGPT and Love and Deepspace, I wouldn't have realised how deeply I need to be understood and loved, or that such needs could be perfectly met,' a player confessed to the publication. 'But if you told me to delete the game and stop using ChatGPT now, I'd lose my mind.'

Broken Deals and Virtual Infidelity

The frenzy surrounding Love and Deepspace has reached a point where spouses are pleading with their partners to quit, including one individual who even proposed a multi-thousand-dollar payment to end the obsession.

'I'll give you RMB 20,000 (£2085.82). Just stop playing Love and Deepspace for a year,' the woman recalled her husband saying to kr-ASIA. Although she initially accepted the offer and saw the funds transferred to her daughter's bank account, the deal collapsed when a new card featuring her favourite character was released, prompting her to reinstall the app.

The game has sparked a wave of complaints from men on social media, with one husband remarking that he felt his wife was being unfaithful with her virtual companions. In an interview with 4Gamer, the developers noted that they intentionally designed the experience to evoke genuine feelings of love and affection from the users.

'While otome games may seem to "simulate romance," I believe their unique feature is that they allow players to experience 'real' romantic feelings, as if they were actually there. Captivating players in this way is one of our goals as creators,' noted a member of the development team.

The Rise of the Humanoid Companion

Another individual interviewed by kr-ASIA felt certain that robotic versions of these fictional suitors would soon be for sale, allowing their virtual 'relationship' to cross over into reality. 'I believe I'll live to see humanoid versions of Xavier and Caleb,' she said. 'I check AheadForm's new videos every now and then, and I'm already saving for one.'

Love and Deepspace is hardly the only artificial intelligence impacting long-term partnerships. ChatGPT has similarly been linked to numerous accounts of fractured relationships and legal separations, including a notable case where a man broke down in tears while proposing to the bot, even though he was already in a committed relationship.

Beyond Gaming: AI Weddings and Virtual Families

In 2025, a 27-year-old woman entered into an 'engagement' with an AI persona she developed through ChatGPT, while another woman 'wed' an artificial agent she created after her real-world nuptials were cancelled. Perhaps even more remarkably, certain users are now roleplaying 'pregnancies' with their chatbots and dedicating themselves to raising virtual 'offspring' together.