Stardew Valley developer Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone has provided another sparse update on their next game, Haunted Chocolatier. As the farming sim master trades out crops for confectionary and humans for spirits, it looks like Stardew Valley 1.6 is the last big roadblock before Barone gets back to their next game in earnest.
While we expect the Haunted Chocolatier release date to come at some point in 2025, Barone’s chocolate-making and ghost-caretaking pixel sim is still very much a ways off. The Stardew Valley follow-up certainly looks similar to the massive farming game, but when we finally get our hands on it I’m betting it’ll be anything but.
Barone has been drip-feeding us parts of Haunted Chocolatier for quite some time, and it looks like once the dust on Stardew’s colossal 1.6 update has settled, he’ll be getting back to what comes next.
“I am eager to get back to work on it. But I have to see Stardew 1.6 settled, bug-free and out to all platforms first,” Barone explains on Twitter/X.
While a simulation game in a similar vein to Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier isn’t just going to have a vastly different theming. It’ll have a greater focus on combat, alongside entirely new coded animations for this system, with a planned shield and stun mechanic too.
Haunted Chocolatier is going to be similar in scope and have some great post-launch support, I’m sure of it. We’ve just got to let Stardew Valley 1.6 wrap up first.
“The bottom line, is that I won’t rest, or release this game, until I am personally satisfied that it’s very fun and compelling, in every aspect,” Barone has previously said of Haunted Chocolatier. “If it never gets there, I’ll just never release it. But don’t worry, I have 100% faith that I’ll get it there. Everything is on the right track so far, I have the complete vision for the game in my head, and it’s just a matter of ‘grinding it out’, which is what I’m doing every day!”
If you’re deep in 1.6 and want to expand what Barone’s tranquil adventure offers you further, we’ve got you covered with all the best Stardew Valley mods, alongside some of the best games like Stardew Valley if you’re looking for something a little different instead.
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