12 years on, Stardew Valley creator swears "On the honor of my family name, I will never charge money for a DLC or update for as long as I live"

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ConcernedApe won't "violate this oath"

Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
(Image credit: ConcernedApe)

Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone promises that future updates for his beloved farming sim will be entirely free - just as previous ones have.

Development on Stardew Valley started a whopping 12 years ago now, with Barone acting as the impressive one-man studio behind the iconic indie gem. Since the game's release in 2016, the solo dev has launched various updates - some small, many quite big. Each patch, whether minor or packed full of new content, hasn't come as "DLC" or ever cost players a dime - and Barone assures that they'll remain that way forever.

In a recent post, the creator promises this: "I swear on the honor of my family name, I will never charge money for a DLC or update for as long as I live." Barone says that fans can hold him to his word if he ever goes back on it - though as a Stardew stan myself, I doubt he will. Especially when I consider massive past patches like this year's 1.6 update and how they were free. "Screencap this and shame me if I ever violate this oath."

This sentiment may also apply to Barone's future games, too, as he doesn't specify that he just means Stardew Valley - Haunted Chocolatier is on the way, after all. There's no telling how many more cost-free updates Stardew will get, either. While the creator still thinks he could "keep working on the game forever," he did admit that "at some point you have to move on." For now, 1.6.9 is underway for PC players - whether there will be a 1.7.0 is still unknown.

Itching for more? Here are our favorite games like Stardew Valley.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.