Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, has been an inspiring figure in the indie gaming industry after his success with Stardew Valley. Barone even loves the game as much as his players do, so he keeps updating it for free every now and then. However, Barone also mentioned in recent interviews that he probably needs to move on temporarily from Stardew Valley so he can focus on his new game, Haunted Chocolatier.
Speaking to NME, Eric Barone detailed his plans for Stardew Valley‘s future. The solo developer made it clear that he doesn’t intend to “close the book” on Stardew Valley even if he needs to focus on other games. Stardew Valley for Barone is an ongoing passion project that he’ll probably be updating until his 80s or 90s.
It’s just that Barone also has other goals, which he mentioned in another interview with NPR. Apart from updating Stardew Valley as long as he’s alive, Barone also wants to make another game. He already has in the form of Haunted Chocolatier which has been in development since 2020.
“There’s a lot of pressure. It’s totally a new thing. It’s going to be a very different experience. The themes are different and I want to do a lot more with the creative, wacky stuff. I’m not tied down to 12 years of prior development like I am with Stardew. I can literally do anything,” says Barone in his interview with NME.
Haunted Chocolatier, as you might have expected, will focus on making chocolates and selling sweets in your own dessert shop, which also happens to be located in a town not unlike Stardew Valley. This time around, there’s less focus on farming, of course.
Stardew Valley Will Still be Getting Love Every Now and Then
Speaking of Stardew Valley, Barone also admits that he eventually has to pump the brakes every once in a while despite his passion for adding new and free content. While Stardew Valley has been dear to him, he’s been going at it for 12 years (four years in development).
“I think a game can have too much content. And I want – I ultimately want Stardew Valley to be the best game it can be. So if I feel like, you know, it’s starting to become kind of overwhelmed with content to the point where it’s detrimental to the game’s, like, entertainment factor, I would stop at that point.
Another thing is I do want to make more than one game in my life. It’s – I’ve been – you know, including the development time, I’ve been working on Stardew Valley for over 12 years now,” Barone said in his interview with NPR.
Barone then jokes that perhaps he will still release a free Stardew Valley update 50 years from now or maybe well into his 90s. In any case, Stardew Valley was in development for four years, and with Barone’s Haunted Chocolatier reaching its 5th year in development, there’s a chance that the new game might get unveiled soon. Hopefully.
