After 12 years, Stardew Valley creator still thinks he could "keep working on the game forever," but "at some point you have to move on"
May. 21, 2024Haunted Chocolatier first, more big Stardew Valley updates second
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Following the hotly anticipated release ofStardew Valley’s recent 1.6 update, the indie gem’s creator reveals that more new content could be in store.
It’s been a couple of months since Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone launched Stardew Valley patch 1.6. While I’ve spent my time enjoying the azure fields and tending to the adorable raccoon family’s quests in 1.6, I’ve often thought about the game’s future and whether I’d pour over a hundred more hours into yet another big update one day. Fortunately for me, it seems that my farming dreams may come true (and I’ve not even had a lucky lunch today), as confirmed by Barone himself.
Speaking toPC Gamerabout the future of Stardew Valley, the solo developer says that while “nothing is planned” just yet, he isn’t going to “say the book is closed.” If you’re worried this sounds like the end of everyone’s cozy go-to and its game-changing updates, don’t be; Barone clarifies that he usually doesn’t “make big plans” for his patches but rather prefers to just “see what happens.” And oh boy, a lot could happen. According to Barone, he had “lots of earlier ideas” that he never patched through to the game in the end and he still thinks that “every aspect of the game could be enriched.”
The legendary creator also admits that he could “keep working on the game forever” (which is great because I could keep playing it forever). Sadly, however, there is a slight catch: While it sounds like more content may indeed eventually be in the works for Stardew Valley, Barone first wants to focus his efforts onHaunted Chocolatier. Once the dev wraps his final tweaks for 1.6 up, he looks forward to taking a break to instead tackle the upcoming whimsical shop sim. Barone explains how he’s “now spent 12 years” working on Stardew Valley, saying it’s time to “focus on something new” after so long.
This lines up with what he’s previously said, telling a fan in March he’s “eager” toget back to working on Haunted Chocolatierbut wants the content from 1.6 to be “bug-free and out to all platforms” first. As of now, 1.6 has yet to drop for console and mobile players, meaning that Barone is still trying to launch the massive update on every platform. The dev also recently announced anotherpatchwith 1.6 bug fixes for fans on PC. Once everyone gets their hands on 1.6, Barone sees any necessary changes to it “squared away,” and finishes his spooky shop sim, I may just see the Junimo-themed farm type I’ve wanted forever come to fruition. Until then, I’ll stare atHaunted Chocolatier screenshotsand pet my dinosaurs in peace.
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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.
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