Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, professionally known as ConcernedApe, updated fans yesterday on the development of his upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier. The solo dev explains that Stardew Valley‘s recent 1.6 update, originally planned as an “under the hood” update, snowballed into something much bigger than expected. Overall, his attachment to his breakout game and sense of obligation to continue updating it for players pulled him away from development on the upcoming title. Loyal fans, smitten by years of goodwill and open transparency, couldn’t be more understanding.
“It’s been a little sad to see Haunted Chocolatier getting dusty on the shelf… but this is the reality of my situation. Stardew Valley is a big and popular game, and I have a lot of attachment to it. I also feel a strong sense of duty and obligation to all the people who have bought Stardew Valley over the years, granting me this rare opportunity to be an indie game developer.“
“Take your time, King,” a response echoed by commenters on ResetEra. “CA gets all the grace and patience in the world from me. If Haunted Chocolatier took 5 more years, so be it,” says a commenter on Reddit.
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you gotta do the cooking by the book; ‘haunted chocolatier’ needs time to bake
It’s a stark difference from the response we’ve seen all too many times after a studio announces a delay. Rabid fanbases, foaming at the mouth with entitlement as developers crunch away for days, months, and years on end. Often crushed under the weight of unreasonable expectations, developers are stretched thin to meet fiscal deadlines, beholden to corporate executives and shareholders eager to add more commas to their spreadsheets. And, when these rushed products fail to meet expectations? Take a wild guess who gets screwed over.
“I will be very happy when the day comes that I can finally release Haunted Chocolatier. However, as with Stardew Valley, I will not be doing any “early access”, crowdfunding, or pre-orders, so I don’t feel a ton of external pressure to finish the game on a timeline.“
However, ConcernedApe’s approach to game development shouldn’t be an outlier — it should be the norm. It’s why Supergiant Games, a team that forces vacations and thrives on an anti-crunch atmosphere, can drop masterpiece after masterpiece. Why Undertale oozes with character and individuality. Why Cave Story had such an undeniable impact on indie game development. When artists have the creative freedom to build what they want, when they want, we get Stardew Valley.
So, as development on Haunted Chocolatier continues, ConcernedApe states that he may choose to share more updates on its progression — or he may not. And you know what? That’s absolutely fine. Take your time, King.
