If it wasn’t obvious that some devs live and breathe their own games, Stardew Valley‘s creator and solo developer, ConcernedApe, has set a new example. Eric “Concerned Ape” Barone likes his own creation so much that he still updates the game regularly, sometimes with free DLC-sized content. The latest round of updates, however, has warmed some players’ hearts because ConcernedApe set aside the Holiday Ham for an emergency patch for Stardew Valley — right in the middle of Christmas.
ConcernedApe even took to X/Twitter to acknowledge the issue and promptly promise a patch right away. Apparently, some Stardew Valley crashes have been abruptly occurring for Xbox users thanks to a previous patch, and ConcernedApe knows just how important it is for people on vacation to have smooth Stardew Valley gameplay.
Thankfully, ConcernedApe immediately deployed the emergency patch overnight after working on it during Christmas Eve. The move has since been lauded and celebrated by Stardew Valley players as some kind of Christmas miracle, though that would be discounting Barone and his team’s hard work and diligence despite being successful game developers.
Others have confirmed that the fix is indeed working, and the patch was available as early as Christmas morning.
Earlier in the week, Stardew Valley players and the community in general rallied to help ConcernedApe win the “Labor of Love” Steam Award. Some players even brigaded around Reddit asking their fellow Redditors to vote for Stardew Valley and ConcernedApe.
Stardew Valley is up against rather fierce finalists this year and will compete with Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, No Man’s Sky, and DOTA 2. Voting will end on January 1, 2025, though even with just the nomination, it appears ConcernedApe is already grateful to the community he has fostered, hence Stardew Valley‘s emergency Christmas patch.
