Stardew Valley creator pauses Haunted Chocolatier development
To finish new update for hit farming game.
Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone is "taking a break" from work on his long-awaited follow-up game Haunted Chocolatier in order to focus on Stardew Valley once again.
Barone previously confirmed there would be more content for his hit faming life simulation back in June last year.
Stardew Valley update 1.6 will include changes to allow for easier and more powerful modding, Barone confirmed via Twitter, alongside some "new game content, albeit much less than 1.5".
It's been over two years since Stardew Valley's 1.5 update arrived, adding new locations, dialogue, events, minigames, puzzles, and a quest line involving multiple NPCs. This was the update which also added split-screen local co-op.
Since then, Barone has been developing Haunted Chocolatier, a game he's described as "darker" than Stardew with a greater focus on combat.
Originally announced back in late 2021, Haunted Chocolatier is destined to be a chocolate-making, monster-stabbing, small town-living role-playing game, with a visual and musical style similar to that of the hugely popular Stardew.
There's no release date set for Haunted Chocolatier just yet, and Barone has not said how long he's paused its development.
Exactly what we'll get in Stardew Valley update 1.6 also remains to be seen.
Since launch, Stardew Valley has sold over 20m copies.