Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone loves working on Stardew Valley so much that he once said he could continue development "forever," but now that the edges have been ironed out of the farming sim's big 1.6 update, he's finally ready to commit to his next game, Haunted Chocolatier.
In a conversation with our pals over at PC Gamer, Barone (which we've just learned is pronounced Bar-own-ee) was asked if there's a cut off point for Stardew Valley development, and for the first time he suggested he's entirely focused on Haunted Chocolatier for now.
Visibly disgruntled at the thought, Barone said: "It's at that place right now, cause the 1.6 update is pretty settled at this point. There was ongoing console ports and bugs and bug fixes and all that stuff, but it's pretty settled now, so I'm committed to not working on Stardew Valley until I'm done with Haunted Chocolatier.
"Now, am I ever gonna completely cut off Stardew Valley? I don't think so, I'm never gonna say that. Because, there have been times that I've said that in the past, and I always ended up making another update. So, I don't think there's ever gonna be like, you know, 'it's done.' Maybe when I pass away, you can say the book is closed."
Haunted Chocolatier was first revealed back in 2021, so we've had some time to get used to its sweet, spectral vibes, although fans expecting a re-skinned Stardew are on track to be sorely disappointed, as Barone has clarified that his next game will be something closer to an action-RPG. Oh, and if you're hoping to play Haunted Chocolatier any time soon, you might also be a little disappointed to hear this:
"I'm still totally knee-deep in development, it's gonna be a while," Barone said. "I'm trying not to rush myself too much, I'm trying to stay relaxed and stress free. The problem is, I have Stardew Valley that I still have to worry about ... I want the fans to have a great experience, so I'm always concerned with Stardew Valley and making sure it's doing well, and that pulls me away from devoting all of my time to Haunted Chocolatier.
"I think at some point I'm going to have to completely cut off everything else. Honestly, I've thought about, maybe I should just go into a cabin in the woods, and completely get off the internet, and just go, 'OK guys, I'll see you in two years. You won't hear from me at all, and I'm going to finish this game."
This isn't the first time Barone has expressed how hard it is for him to move on from Stardew Valley, saying previously that he had found it challenging to "to work on something that isn’t already established and meaningful to people." It seems he's ready to shift focus at long last.
In the meantime, here are some games like Stardew Valley to help you get your chill on.
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