The man behind Stardew Valley has detailed his plans for its future content updates in a recent interview, and it sounds like we’ll be waiting a while for its next one… but it also sounds like that’s good news.
Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone is quite possibly the most beloved developer in existence.
I don’t say that lightly either, because if “Dev We Love the Most” was a GOTY category, it would be absolutely stacked.
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Balatro’s LocalThunk, Hazelight Studios’ Josef Fares and basically the entirety of Larian Studios would be up for the running, and yet I still think Eric Barone would sweep.
One of the reasons Barone is so beloved is his tireless efforts in continuously updating Stardew Valley, a game that many believe was a 10/10 banger way back when it dropped in 2016.
Yet Barone has released dozens of free content updates for the game over the past nine years, and he isn’t done yet– but you’ll have to wait a little longer for the next one.
In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Barone revealed that he still has plans to update Stardew Valley in the future, but that his upcoming title, Haunted Chocolatier, is his main focus for the time being.
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Everyone should give Stardew Valley a try.
“I do love Stardew Valley and I care about the fans and I want the fans to have a great experience,” Barone told PC Gamer, “So I'm always concerned with Stardew Valley and making sure that it's doing well, and that pulls me away from devoting all my time to Haunted Chocolatier.”
“The 1.6 update is pretty settled at this point. There were ongoing console ports and bug fixes, but it's pretty settled now. I'm committed to not working on Stardew Valley until I'm done with Haunted Chocolatier… I think it's in a good place.”
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Good.
No, seriously. Good. I love Stardew Valley, but I think Barone is absolutely spot on. The game is in a great place right now, and frankly, always has been.
But I really, really want to play Haunted Chocolatier. I don’t want him to rush things or feel overworked, so taking a step back from Stardew Valley for the time being to focus on Haunted Chocolatier’s development is the right call.
I just hope he doesn’t push himself too hard, because he does seem like the kind of guy that loves his fans so much that he might burn the candle a both ends a little too hard. Please look after yourself and rest, Eric. We love you, and we can wait as long as necessary.
Topics: Stardew Valley, Indie Games