‘Stardew Valley’ Creator Gives An Update On Potential ‘Haunted Chocolatier’ Release Timeframe

The creator of Stardew Valley has opened up about his current progress on developing Haunted Chocolatier. In a recent interview, developer Eric Barone shared an update on how much work remains on the life sim. Although it’s been in development since 2020, we might be waiting a lot longer for it to launch.

You Might Be Waiting a while for ‘Haunted Chocolatier’

In an April 29 interview with PC Gamer, Eric Barone discussed a variety of Stardew Valley topics. From fans disliking the game’s fishing mini-game to the widespread player dislike of Pierre. However, the ConcernedApe creator also revealed new details about his upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier. Specifically, he shared where he currently is with the game’s development.

According to Barone, the release of Haunted Chocolatier is still a ways off. “I’m still tweaking the vertical slice. There is still vertical slice of work to be done. At the same time, I have been working on content. So it’s a little bit of both. I’m still totally knee-deep into development. It’s going to be awhile. I’m trying not to rush myself too much. I’m trying to stay relaxed and stress free.”

Barone also gave an analogy about what it would take to finish Haunted Chocolatier‘s development. “I think at some point I’m going to have to completely cut off everything else. Like honestly I’ve thought about maybe I should just go to like a cabin in the woods and completely get off the internet. Just be like, ‘Okay, guys, I’ll see you in two years. You won’t hear from me at all, and I’m going to finish this game.’” So, yeah, it seems like we won’t be getting Haunted Chocolatier anytime soon.

‘Stardew Valley’ Is Still Impacting Development

In the interview, Eric Barone explained that Stardew Valley is still playing a big part in diverting his attention away from finishing Haunted Chocolatier. “The problem is, I still have Stardew Valley I have to worry about. And it always drags me away from Haunted Chocolatier. I don’t want to say drags though, because I do love Stardew Valley. I care about the fans, and I always want them to have a great experience. So I’m always concerned with Stardew Valley and making sure it’s doing well and that pulls me away from devoting all my time to Haunted Chocolatier.”

This isn’t the first time ConcernedApe has explained to fans that work on Stardew Valley has delayed his next project. In a December 2024 blog post, Barone explained in detail how the Stardew Valley 1.6 patch prevented him from working on the new game. “I know many people are excited to play Haunted Chocolatier, and may be disappointed to hear that it will still take a while, or that I took time away to work on Stardew Valley. I will be very happy when the day comes that I can finally release Haunted Chocolatier.”

so, where does that leave things?

However, the developer also stressed that he will not be doing early access for Haunted Chocolatier or taking pre-orders, as he doesn’t want external pressure to rush the game’s development. While this might not be the update fans were hoping for, Barone does seem genuinely passionate about the world and characters of Haunted Chocolatier. Plus, it’s rare to see a developer so dedicated to a game and its player base. So when the new life sim eventually comes out, you can be sure it will receive support for years to come. But yeah, at this rate, it looks like we won’t be seeing Haunted Chocolatier until 2027 — or possibly even 2028 at this rate.