I hope Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone is well-rested and hydrated.
The beloved indie developer behind Stardew Valley doesn’t appear to take a day off, constantly beavering away on something new to delight fans.
In fact, he’s just issued a hefty update on what’s next both for Stardew and for his upcoming new IP Haunted Chocolatier.
When it comes to Stardew Valley, Barone has confirmed that he’s working on Update 1.7, although didn’t reveal anything that this might entail.
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Instead, the update was more concerned with how this would affect Haunted Chocolatier’s development considering that’s his current main focus.
The lowdown is that it won’t.
Barone explained that he has a team assisting him with Stardew Valley updates, adding that this has been the case since the 1.3 update landed.
Unlike in previous updates, Barone claims that he’s attempting to take more of a “creative director” approach this time around so that he can continue to develop Haunted Chocolatier while his assisting devs work on Update 1.7.
That system is apparently working pretty well: “We are working at a relaxed pace, we have a ton of ideas.”
Eventually, Barone says he will spend time more directly tweaking Update 1.7 himself as it's important for his connection to the game that he maintains a hands-on approach.
He reiterates that there’s no known release date and that the update could even land after Haunted Chocolatier.
As for when Haunted Chocolatier will launch, “at some point,” Barone stated.
“The reality of my life is that I have a very popular first game that I still want to take care of, which means that my second game might take a little longer,” Barone explained.
“It is what it is. I didn’t have to make a 1.7 update for Stardew Valley, but the game is still so popular (in fact, still growing), that it’s hard to just stop improving it when there are still things that can be improved. But I hope the approach I am taking for Stardew Valley 1.7 will help keep Haunted Chocolatier on track.”
He also reiterated that he is working on Haunted Chocolatier solo for now.
Certainly, it’s not an update that reveals too much about the title that we didn’t already know but I say we let Barone cook.
To bring those of you in the dark up to speed, Haunted Chocolatier is set to be part RPG, part simulation where players will step into the role of a chocolatier living in a haunted castle.
They’ll be required to run the chocolate shop, gathering ingredients, and doing all of the usual cosy fare like befriending the town’s fiendish locals.
We can’t wait to hear more.
Topics: Stardew Valley, Indie Games