Haunted Chocolatier Is 'Coming Along' Says Creator ConcernedApe, But 'Isn't as Fast as I Would Like'

This month, we're celebrating Stardew Valley up of its 10th anniversary, and person a ton of Stardew-related pieces arsenic a portion of that. But erstwhile we spoke to creator Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) up of that celebration, we couldn't assistance but besides inquire astir his different crippled that's inactive in-development and mysterious: Haunted Chocolatier.

Barone has been candid successful the past that he's had occupation balancing enactment connected some Stardew Valley's ongoing updates (with Patch 1.7 presently successful progress) and Haunted Chocolatier. We started by asking him if that equilibrium has changed precocious and if he's had much Chocolatier-time successful his schedule. The reply from Barone is, yes, benignant of.

"Well, portion of the crushed wherefore I've expanded my squad a small spot is truthful that hopefully I tin walk much clip moving connected Haunted Chocolatier," helium says. "And it's worked retired beauteous good truthful far, I would say. On 1.7, the attack we're taking is that I americium like, you mightiness accidental the originative manager and I'm progressive with like, 'Okay, here's what we're going to do. Here's immoderate of the ideas.' Then I fto the squad enactment connected that. And past meanwhile, I'm moving connected Haunted Chocolatier.

"At immoderate constituent successful 1.7's cycle, I volition get heavy involved, due to the fact that I consciousness similar my manus needs to interaction each portion of the game, each facet of the update. I request to spell implicit it and set it oregon astatine slightest o.k. everything. So it volition necessitate a batch of my clip anyway, but I deliberation the equilibrium has been a small spot much shifted, truthful that I tin walk much clip focused connected Haunted Chocolatier. And I deliberation it's been moving retired beauteous good. That's been a large alteration from the 1.3 update oregon 1.1 oregon thing wherever it's wholly me. I had nary clip to enactment connected a caller game. So that has changed.

"It is hard due to the fact that it's hard to displacement gears, I guess. If I'm reasoning astir Haunted Chocolatier, it's hard to beryllium like, 'Okay, I'm going to 1 time of the week oregon 2 days of the week enactment connected Stardew Valley.' That's not however my encephalon works. I'm each successful 1 happening oregon the other. So I've been trying to enactment connected that. I consciousness similar it requires a batch of discipline, which I'm ever moving to amended on."

Understandable, and there's adjacent much discourse connected the enactment he's done to equilibrium Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley astatine aggregate different points successful our afloat Q&A. But we couldn't fto the taxable driblet without conscionable straight-up asking him however Haunted Chocolatier is going. Sadly, nary factual updates today. But Barone replies that it's "coming along." But it sounds similar the hold volition beryllium worthy it.

"The advancement isn't arsenic accelerated arsenic I would like. Nothing is ever arsenic accelerated arsenic I would like. The main important happening astir Haunted Chocolatier is I'm not going to merchandise thing that I'm not blessed with. If I don't deliberation it's a large game, I'm not going to merchandise it. So adjacent if that takes years and years, truthful beryllium it. That's conscionable what I privation to do. Fortunately, I don't consciousness similar there's immoderate existent pressure. I haven't received backing from anyone oregon crowdfunding. There's not going to beryllium immoderate pre-orders.

"I don't really beryllium anyone the game. It's similar erstwhile I privation to bash it and erstwhile I privation to merchandise it, it'll get done. I mean, it's existent that I've announced the game, that does make a batch of unit connected maine due to the fact that I bash consciousness similar I don't privation to disappoint the fans by taking excessively long, but there's nary existent carnal work with it. It's much conscionable intelligence constructs, you mightiness say."

It makes consciousness that Haunted Chocolatier is taking a while, arsenic Barone has antecedently said its satellite is "larger" than Stardew Valley's. He besides took a spot of a hiatus connected the crippled backmost successful 2024 owed to struggles getting Stardew Valley 1.6's console ports working. But it sounds similar a bigger squad is helping alleviate immoderate of those struggles going forward. We'll conscionable person to support being diligent (and support enjoying Stardew) portion we hold for Barone's adjacent work, whenever it comes.

We're celebrating Stardew's 10th day this period with a bumper harvest of stories. We interviewed ConcernedApe and chatted astir topics specified arsenic the summation of 2 caller matrimony candidates with 1.7, the 1 concealed players inactive haven't recovered yet, and wherefore determination isn't a Stardew Valley TV amusement yet. We besides chatted with the Stardew Valley assemblage astir what the crippled has meant to them implicit the years.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].