The creator of Stardew Valley has just announced that the beloved nine-year-old game will receive another major update, arriving more than a year after the last one. Here's what we know about the announcement and what it could mean for the highly anticipated Haunted Chocolatier.
New Stardew Valley Update Arrives After Nearly Two Years
ConcernedApe Shares "Secret" at Symphony Concert
Eric Barone, the developer behind Stardew Valley known as ConcernedApe, recently confirmed that a 1.7 update is in development. The news was first shared during a Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons live concert and later officially posted by Barone on Twitter (X). Specific details about the upcoming patch have not yet been revealed.
"After [update 1.6], I was telling people, 'I don't think we're doing another update,'" Barone told the concert audience. "But I wanted to share something with you tonight. It's something of a secret. There is going to be another update."
Since its launch in 2016, the popular farming simulation game has benefited from numerous free updates and expansions, all developed solely by Barone. His dedicated work on this passion project has paid off tremendously, with Stardew Valley's popularity continuing to grow nearly a decade later. Notably, the game's recent low of around 89,000 concurrent Steam players nearly matches its pre-2024 peak of approximately 95,000.
Haunted Chocolatier Development Remains on Track
The announcement was met with enthusiastic cheers from fans, as the comprehensive 1.6 update earlier in 2024 was widely expected to be the game's final major content addition before Barone shifted focus fully to his next project. "[Stardew Valley] pulls me away from devoting all my time to Haunted Chocolatier... My commitment is to not work on Stardew Valley until Haunted Chocolatier is finished," Barone explained to PC Gamer in April.
First revealed in 2021, Haunted Chocolatier is anticipated to be an even more ambitious title than Stardew Valley. While fans celebrated the new Stardew update, some also voiced concerns about potential delays for the new game. Barone quickly addressed these worries on social media, assuring everyone that work on the Stardew Valley update will not impact the development timeline for Haunted Chocolatier.
Stardew Valley is playable on PC, mobile devices, and current and previous-generation consoles. For more news and updates on Stardew Valley, explore our related article below.
