Stardew Valley creator Eric ‘Concerned Ape’ Barone has taken a brief break from working on the highly anticipated Haunted Chocolatier to drop a bombshell.
Taking to Twitter with fire at his fingertips, Barone wrote: “The world of Haunted Chocolatier is larger than Stardew Valley”.
Outstanding. How much bigger Haunted Chocolatier will be than Stardew Valley, what will fill this vast world of hauntings and chocolate, and how players will be able to explore and interact with this world remains a sweet mystery.
The last major update we got for Haunted Chocolatier is from April this year, when Barone announced no more major updates would be coming to Stardew Valley. Indeed, the last year of Barone’s life has assumedly been spent sitting at the grindstone, hard at work at their next game while thousands of eager fans peek through the cracks in the walls and floorboards.
These long periods of silence should not be a surprise, with Barone previously stating that Haunted Chocolatier won’t be rushed, and that it was “better to have a good delayed game than a bad game on time”. He’s right, of course. You can only release Haunted Chocolatier once, and given the massive community of Stardew Valley players, it’s likely the smart move to make sure everything is made well and with love… Just like chocolate!
So yeah, while making a joke or two is fun, we wish this ape the best of luck with development. It’s ready when it’s ready!