Summary
Stardew Valleycreator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone said he hopes to release his next game,Haunted Chocolatier, by 2030—though he still isn’t ready to commit to any timeframe, no matter how long. His comment suggests thatHaunted Chocolatiermay launch significantly later than many fans might have expected.
Baroneoriginally announcedHaunted Chocolatierin October 2021, describing it as a chocolatier simulation game with action RPG elements and a fantasy setting filled with ghosts. The Los Angeles-born developer has provided multiple status updates on the game ever since, but without attempting to narrow down the timeframe for its release.
During a recent interview with comedian and podcaster Bobby Lee, Barone was questioned about the currentdevelopment status ofHaunted Chocolatier. Asked if the game was coming out in the next five years, he thought about his answer for a second before offering a tentative “I hope so” in response. Elaborating on this notion, Barone explained that there’s “a lot that still needs to be done” before the project nears completion.
Haunted Chocolatier Has Been in Development Since 2020
AlthoughHaunted Chocolatierwas announced in 2021, Barone later clarified that development began the previous year. In a blog post shared via the project’s official website, the developer said he was “making good progress” on the game in December 2021. However, the development then halted after Barone started working on theStardew Valley1.6 update, which introduced a massive amount of content and technical changes to his hit farming sim in March 2024. Barone subsequently signaled that he had resumed working onHaunted Chocolatierby late 2024.
In December 2024, Barone said he still had “a lot of work” to do onHaunted Chocolatier—a sentiment that he has now reiterated to Lee half a year later. As was the case withStardew Valley, the indie dev decided to do everything by himself, and won’t employ outside help forHaunted Chocolatierbefore the game is “essentially complete.” For reference, Barone only hired help forStardew Valleystarting from the 1.3 update, which launched in late 2018, two and a half years following the farming sim’s original release.
I don’t want to just be the Stardew Valley guy.
Over the years, Barone has repeatedly said he’ll never close the book on his first game,insisting that he could keep working onStardew Valleyforever. He reiterated this sentiment during his recent interview with Lee, while also emphasizing thatHaunted Chocolatierand other projects remain key parts of his future plans. “I don’t want to just be theStardew Valleyguy,” he explained. In addition toHaunted Chocolatier, Barone has also been collaborating on an unannounced title with an undisclosed developer, as he revealed toGame Informerin January 2022. The current status of this mysterious project remains unknown.
