Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone busts 4 myths about Haunted Chocolatier

Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, creator of Stardew Valley, posted on the Haunted Chocolatier website this week to address fan speculation, saying “I’ve been very productive lately on Haunted Chocolatier” while acknowledging the project is taking a while.

Barone’s first point: Haunted Chocolatier will not be abandoned and added to Stardew Valley. He called that idea absurd, noting the games were made in different engines and “you can’t just copy and paste Haunted Chocolatier into Stardew Valley.”

He also said ideas for Haunted Chocolatier are not being tested inside Stardew Valley. Barone reiterated the titles are separate projects, even if they share an aesthetic, and said he doesn’t want to spoil Haunted Chocolatier by teasing it early in Stardew Valley.

Barone denied he’s working on Stardew Valley to avoid Haunted Chocolatier, stating that new Stardew updates happen because the game remains very popular. He also pushed back on the idea of a 2030 release date after saying he had “hoped” the game would be out in the next five years; some fans took that to mean it wouldn’t arrive sooner.

On timing, Barone reconfirmed there is no set release date and that Haunted Chocolatier will be finished “when it’s done,” leaving the exact launch timing unclear until he shares further updates.

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