Stardew Valley Marks the End of an Era

Sure thing! Here goes:

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Okay, so Stardew Valley. You know, that game everyone’s obsessed with? It’s been around for something like nine years now and folks just can’t get enough. Seriously, it’s like the comfort food of video games. And what blows my mind is that this whole thing was cooked up by one dude. Yep, just Eric Barone—goes by ConcernedApe—doing his thing. Kind of makes you wonder what I’ve been doing with my life, honestly.

Anyway, in this chat he has with PC Gamer, he spills the beans on switching gears to his new game, Haunted Chocolatier. Sounds mysterious, right? Not much is out there about it yet, but he says he’s all in on this one. Meanwhile, Stardew just has to wait. Guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Pause for a second because I just remembered: Stardew sold like 41 million copies by December 2024. Imagine that! Might explain why Barone joked about working on it for another 50 years. Or maybe he’s not joking? Who knows. But one thing’s for sure — the guy’s committed.

So this Haunted Chocolatier is where it’s at now. Listening to Barone, you get the sense he’s torn. Stardew’s always got a hold on him. Maybe it’s the farming? The pixel art? The fan love? Whatever it is, it’s a pull he can’t seem to shake off.

And speaking of love, the Stardew community is, like, a force. Adding mods left and right, tweaking this and that. They even tossed a Baldur’s Gate 3 mod in there, which, honestly, sounds wild but kinda cool.

Now, back to Barone—he’s got goals with his candy shop game, but Stardew Valley’s this perpetual siren song. Like every time he thinks he’s out… you know the rest. Once Haunted Chocolatier wraps up (whenever that might be), he might just have a list of things to revisit in Stardew. Guy just can’t seem to quit it.

In any case, Stardew’s legacy isn’t going anywhere. Even while Barone’s got his hands full, the game’s got enough steam to keep on truckin’. It’s like your favorite old sweater—always there when you need it. Who knows what the future holds, but isn’t that half the fun?

Anyway, that’s me rambling. If you haven’t checked out Stardew yet, maybe now’s the time. Or not. Up to you.