Stardew Valley creator explains that releasing 1.6 update on PC first was to avoid "critical bugs," but "never intended for the delay to be this long"

Stardew Valley character known as Elliott, a man with long auburn hair and a red coat
(Image credit: ConcernedApe)

Alongside announcing the November 4 release date for the highly anticipated Stardew Valley 1.6 update for consoles and mobile, creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone peeled the development curtain back to let us get a closer look at how they determine when an update is finally ready for showtime. 

Barone announced the release date of the 1.6 update on Twitter this past Sunday. Which led to questions from fans – and no it's not about chugging mayonnaise – including one player curious about why Barone doesn't wait until all of the platforms are ready to go instead of releasing them piecemeal.

"I've always released on PC first, because it's sort of a 'beta test' to make sure there are no critical (e.g. save-destroying) bugs," said Barone, "which are a much bigger deal on consoles because they can't be patched out as quickly. However, I never intended for the delay to be this long"

Game development is tricky, and things don't always go as planned. The Stardew Valley 1.6 update released on PC roughly six months ago, and it's clear that wasn't Barone's intention, and it has in fact, it's been on his mind every minute. But better to be safe than sorry when potentially messing up the hard work of a farmer. 

The good news is Barone mentions that you don't have to start a new farm to enjoy "almost everything" the update has to offer. So luckily you won't have to redo all of your spreadsheets or farm-planning prep if you don't want to. However, for those already itching for the rush of freshly tilled soil, he says, "if you have any interest in starting a new farm it would be ideal to start fresh. Some of the new things, for example, are different in year 1 than in year 2+. Besides, it's fun to start a new farm right?"

After 1.6 hits consoles and mobile, maybe Barone will get back to work on his next game, the delicious-looking Haunted Chocolatier.

If you're looking for something to hold you over in the meantime, check out 10 other games that are just like Stardew Valley  

Jesse Vitelli
Contributor

Jesse is a freelance games journalist with almost a decade of experience. He was the Associate Editor at Prima Games for three years and then moved into the world of freelancing where you might have seen his work at the likes of Game Informer, Kotaku, Inverse, and a few others. You can find him playing the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV or whatever hot new multiplayer game his friends are playing.

Read more
Stardew Valley
After almost 10 years of Stardew Valley, ConcernedApe says "thank you for playing" and releases new patch on the Nintendo Switch: "I appreciate everyone who enjoys the game"
Stardew Valley
"I'm very ashamed to say this": Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone warns players to avoid certain areas thanks to a major Nintendo Switch bug
Stardew Valley
With another "thank you," Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone brings an update arc to a close with "the Switch patch to fix the last Switch patch"
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley creator says "a game can have too much content" but still won't say "the book is closed" on the farming sim, teasing updates "maybe even 50 years from now"
Haunted Chocolatier: a screenshot of a player standing in a dark house.
Haunted Chocolatier: Everything we know about the Stardew Valley creator's next game
The shipping box in Stardew Valley
Cozy farming sim Stardew Valley has sold over 41 million copies as of right now, with over half on PC and almost 8 million on the Switch
Latest in Adventure
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will allegedly introduce 27 new Mega Evolutions, leakers claim, and we can only hope Flygon gets its chance this time
Minecraft Vibrant Visuals
16 years after Minecraft first released it's getting a modern visual upgrade with a retro lighting trick that Mojang hasn't seen "in any other game"
Minecraft movie image of Jack Black as steve
Don't expect Minecraft to go free-to-play anytime soon, as Mojang says "It doesn't really work with the way we built it"
Putting cigarettes in fish mouths in Thank Goodness You're Here
Thank Goodness You're Here's developer says it was trying to design a game normally before realizing "we're s**t at video game design"
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shiny Cards
How to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's director appears to be a Xenoblade Chronicles fan, and I'm now feeling very validated about a tiny detail I spotted in the upcoming RPG's gameplay trailer
Latest in News
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
Fantastic Four: 1234 #2 cover excerpt
Sue Storm and Namor are officially both in Avengers: Doomsday, and fans are wondering if Reed Richards has something to worry about
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
fool me once
Harlan Coben’s new novel is set to be "more of a sequel" to the hit Netflix series Fool Me Once: "I don’t know any time that’s ever happened"
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint
Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
Schedule 1
Schedule 1 is Steam's latest viral hit – an open-world drug dealing simulator with 98% positive reviews, co-op, and a free sample to get you started