Eric Barone, the solo developer responsible forStardew Valley, gave an update onHaunted Chocolatierrecently that may have left some eager fans disappointed. According to Barone, the highly anticipatedHaunted Chocolatiermay not be ready until the next decade, meaningStardew Valleylovers who are awaiting more from the developer may need to gear up for a serious test of patience.
This long wait was confirmed during Barone’s recent appearance on comedian Bobby Lee’s podcast, TigerBelly. Lee asked Barone ifHaunted Chocolatierwould come out in the next five years, with Barone simply stating, “I hope so.” According to Barone, there is still a lot of work left to do on the game, despite it being announced back in 2021. Although Barone revealed the game nearly four years ago, it’s easy to understand why development has been so slow.
Over the Years, Stardew Valley Has Kept Eric Barone Incredibly Busy, Leaving Little Time for Haunted Chocolatier
Barone Has Addressed the Lack of Haunted Chocolatier Updates
Back in December of last year, Barone posted tothe officialHaunted Chocolatierblog, giving fans insight into why the wait has been so lengthy. In the post, he states, “It’s been a little sad to seeHaunted Chocolatiergetting dusty on the shelf… but this is the reality of my situation.Stardew Valleyis a big and popular game, and I have a lot of attachment to it.” One of the biggest reasons as to why progress onHaunted Chocolatierwas halted is simply because he was busy working on one ofStardew Valley’s biggest post-launch updates, which was released last year.
He further wrote to fans, “Before I took this break forStardew1.6, I had created a ‘vertical slice’ ofHaunted Chocolatier, essentially a skeleton of the game with most (not all) of its bones in place.” While having the game’s foundation built is a promising hint atHaunted Chocolatier’s current state, it also means there is plenty more work to get done. Beyond the general bones of the game, there are entire mechanics and features that need to be completed. With Barone’s history of continuously tweakingStardew Valley, there’s no doubt that he will be meticulous with these decisions.
Naturally, that type of care and attention to detail moves slowly, so when taking that into consideration, it makes a potential 2030release date forHaunted Chocolatiernot surprising at all. It’s also important to remember that Barone works alone for the most part, and that’s always bound to make game development take even longer.
It’s been a little sad to seeHaunted Chocolatiergetting dusty on the shelf… but this is the reality of my situation.Stardew Valleyis a big and popular game, and I have a lot of attachment to it.
Instead of a farming simulator,Haunted Chocolatierfollows a candy maker who also lives inside a castle that happens to be filled with ghosts. Another big difference fromStardew Valleyis thatHaunted Chocolatierwill have a bigger emphasis on combat.
Whenever Haunted Chocolatier Finally Arrives, it Will Be the End of an Era
Over the years,Stardew Valleyhas been Barone’s only work, soHaunted Chocolatierwill be the closing of one era, but the beginning of an exciting new one.Stardew Valley’s influence on the indie worldhas been clear, and whenHaunted Chocolatierfinally arrives, it will be thrilling to see what the candy-making title has in store, no matter what year it happens to release in.
