Despite the fact that it is nearing its tenth anniversary, Stardew Valley continues to prove its standing in the industry by maintaining a significant following to this day and even receiving more updates. Recently, developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone surprised Stardew Valley fans by announcing that the beloved farm life sim would be updated to version 1.7, despite previous claims that he would be devoting his time primarily to Haunted Chocolatier after the release of Update 1.6 last year. For fans of the popular indie title, that's a major blessing, but for those awaiting more from Barone beyond Stardew Valley, it's a bit of a curse.
On the one hand, more content for a game that still thrives nearly ten years after its initial release is welcome news, but even Barone admits that the update will act as a minor detour from his other commitments — namely, furthering the development of Haunted Chocolatier, his highly anticipated chocolate confectionery store simulator. It's currently unclear just how big Stardew Valley's 1.7 update will be, but considering how much content 1.6 added, it's reasonable to expect the next major update to draw Barone's attention away from Haunted Chocolatier.
Stardew Valley's Latest Update Comes at a Cost
Barone's Balancing Act Between Two Worlds
Stardew Valley is obviously Barone's pride and joy, as it not only earned him recognition as one of the most successful indie developers in the industry but also cemented his farm life sim as a source of inspiration for many that have followed in the genre. In light of that, it makes sense that he would still be investing in it today, even given its age. At the time of writing, Stardew Valley reaches around 100,000 active players each day on Steam alone, and that's clearly due to both the game's popularity and Barone's commitment to fleshing out its legacy.
However, Barone has also found himself at a crossroads that he paved in 2021 when he announced a new Stardew Valley-like game of his, Haunted Chocolatier. Since its announcement, only a handful of screenshots and other information have been publicized by Barone, and considering Stardew Valley only took a little over four years to make, right about now would have been the time Haunted Chocolatier would be launching — if it were his only ongoing project. Since Stardew Valley continues to be just as popular today as it has always been, though, Barone has no choice but to continue breathing new life into the farm life sim while simultaneously developing Haunted Chocolatier.
The Promise and the Price of More Stardew Content
So, Stardew Valley's 1.7 update may promise more content for the game, but it also comes with the price of taking time away from Barone's development of Haunted Chocolatier. The developer has assured fans that the update will not interfere with Haunted Chocolatier's development, but there's likely only so much that he can do to control that. More than anything, Barone's reassurance is simply a statement that the development of Haunted Chocolatier will not stop, but that is far from any promise that it will not slow down.
When Barone was developing Stardew Valley's 1.6 update, he initially planned for it to be more insignificant than it turned out to be. At the end of it all, it had snowballed into a considerable amount of content, and, as a result, Haunted Chocolatier's development was largely put on hold during that time. Again, while Barone has stated that Stardew Valley's next big update will not hinder Haunted Chocolatier's development, with him working on it almost entirely alone, there is still a possibility that even this small detour could shift its progress more than he originally intended, if history has proven anything.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- February 26, 2016
- ESRB
- E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
- ConcernedApe
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation
