Stardew Valley's Eric Barone promises getting back into World of Warcraft won't delay Haunted Chocolatier

Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe - aka Eric Barone - has been playing a bit of World of Warcraft lately, but don't worry, it won't get in the way of follow-up game Haunted Chocolatier's development. 

In an interview with Screen Rant, Barone talked all things Haunted Chocolatier as well as their previous work on the now very popular farming sim Stardew Valley. When asked what they've been playing recently, Barone replied: "This is a little bit of a guilty pleasure, but I've been playing World of Warcraft." 

Knowing full well that the Blizzard MMORPG can be a time sink, Barone reassured fans by adding: "To be honest, I played World of Warcraft when I made Stardew Valley, so don't get too alarmed; it doesn't mean I'm not going to finish Haunted Chocolatier." The developer continues: "I think it actually influenced Stardew Valley a bit."

This isn't the only time a Blizzard game has influenced Barone. In the same interview, the developer revealed that Diablo 2 influences Haunted Chocolatier. "When I was in the early stages of Haunted Chocolatier, I was playing a bunch of Diablo 2," ConcernedApe says, before explaining that they're a fan of the game's loot and stat systems: "I like that stuff. I feel like a lot of Stardew Valley players aren't that into it, but I've just got to do what I think is fun. And I think that'll shine through in the game." 

We're still a little while off the release of Haunted Chocolatier, in fact, we don't even have a release date yet. Savvy fans think they found a clue in a screenshot of the upcoming game that was shared earlier this year. Perhaps by coincidence, the amount of money currently on the player in one of the screenshots adds up to 2023, indicating a release date could be scheduled for next year. We'll have to stay tuned to find out for sure, though. 

Want to know what you may have missed playing this year? Take a look at our best games 2022 list.